[ad. OF. compartir ‘to diuide, part, or put into equall peeces’ (Cotgr.), or (its source) L. compartīrī to divide and share with another, f. com- † partīrī to divide, share.]
† 1. trans. To divide and share with others. Obs.
1575. Fenton, Gold. Epist. (1577), 59. He coulde not comparte wyth hym his clothes.
1605. Daniel, Philotas (1717), 357. And still compart The best Degrees and Honours of the Field, In hope to win his Love.
2. To subdivide, partition, or mark off into smaller parts; to divide into compartments.
a. 1785. Glover, Athenaid, IV. (R.). The crystal surface is comparted all, In niches verg’d with rubies.
1876. L. H. Morgan, in N. Amer. Rev., CXXIII. 63. The interior was comparted by willow screens.
1880. L. Wallace, Ben-Hur, IV. iii. Each panel was comparted like a modern office-desk, and each compartment crowded with labelled folios.
3. Arch. To lay out in accordance with a plan, with proper distribution and disposition of parts.
1624. [see COMPARTING below].
1715. Leoni, Palladio’s Archit. (1742), I. 79. Streets … ought to be so comparted, as to be strait. Ibid., I. 90. The pilasters … ought to be so comparted, as to fall into that part of the river where the stream is least rapid. Ibid., II. 11. Thus Vitruvius comparted the round Temples.
Hence Comparted ppl. a.; Comparting vbl. sb.
1624. Wotton, Archit., in Reliq. Wotton. (1672), 33. I make haste to the Casting and Comparting of the whole work.
1654. Earl Monm., trans. Bentivoglio’s Warrs Flanders, 299. He begirt the Town … with divers well comparted Quarters.
1823. P. Nicholson, Pract. Builder, 583. Comparted; divided into smaller parts; or partitioned into smaller spaces.
