1. (n.) The act or principle of compensating.

2. (n.) That which constitutes, or is regarded as, an equivalent; that which makes good the lack or variation of something else; that which compensates for loss or privation; amends; remuneration; recompense.

3. (n.) The extinction of debts of which two persons are reciprocally debtors by the credits of which they are reciprocally creditors; the payment of a debt by a credit of equal amount; a set-off.

4. (n.) A recompense or reward for some loss or service.

5. (n.) An equivalent stipulated for in contracts for the sale of real estate, in which it is customary to provide that errors in description, etc., shall not avoid, but shall be the subject of compensation.

alienation amends atonement autism autistic thinking avoidance mechanism base pay blame-shifting blood money comeuppance composition compromise consideration correction damages decompensation defense mechanism dereism dereistic thinking desert deserts dismissal wage displacement dissociation earnings emotional insulation escalator clause escalator plan escape escape into fantasy escape mechanism escapism expiation expiatory offering fantasizing fantasy financial remuneration fixing flight gross income guaranteed annual wage guerdon hire honorarium income indemnification indemnity isolation just deserts living wage making amends making good making right making up meed mending minimum wage negativism net income overcompensation overhaul overhauling pay pay and allowances paying back payment payroll peace offering penal retribution penalization penalty penance piaculum portal-to-portal pay price projection propitiation psychotaxis punishment purchasing power quittance rationalization real wages reclamation recompense rectification redemption redress refund reimbursement remedy remuneration repair repairing reparation repayment reprisal requital requitement resistance restitution retribution return revenge reward salary salvage satisfaction severance pay sliding scale smart money sociological adjustive reactions solatium squaring sublimation substitution take-home take-home pay taxable income total compensation troubleshooting wage wage control wage freeze wage reduction wage rollback wage scale wages wages after deductions wages after taxes wergild what is due what is merited wish-fulfillment fantasy wishful thinking withdrawal