Compromise

Synonyms

Arrangement; Bargain; Compact; Deal; Settlement; Trade-off

Definition

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “compromise” (in the sense relevant here) as “[a] coming to terms, or arrangement of a dispute, by concessions on both sides; partial surrender of one’s position, for the sake of coming to terms; the concession or terms offered by either side.” In brief, it is an agreement arrived at through mutual concessions (Pennock and Chapman 1979).

Etymologically, the word “compromise” stems from the Latin compromissum, which referred to the reciprocal promise of two disputing parties to submit themselves to the judgment of an arbiter, a compromissarius. In the Middle Ages, compromise came to refer to the process of electing a compromissarius as community representative. Since then, these associations with arbitration and election have gradually disappeared, and compromise has come to refer simply to a particular kind of agreement between disputants themselves.

Conceptualization

One...