A brief compilation or composition, containing the principal heads, or general principles, of a larger work or system; an abridgment; an epitome; a compend; a condensed summary.
a work which treats a subject in brief "digest" form, such as a handbook or an encyclopedia.
a brief account or summary of a particular subject.
a concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work
a comprehensive but brief account of a particular subject or field of knowledge, especially in the form of a book
several instruments compiled into one device; also see article on astronomical compendium.
collection of synoptic articles designed to map a subject. Usually intermediate or advanced level.
A compendium is a concise, yet comprehensive compilation of a body of knowledge. A compendium may summarize a larger work. In most cases the body of knowledge will concern some delimited field of human interest or endeavour (for example, hydrogeology), while a "universal" encyclopedia can be referred to as a compendium of all human knowledge.