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Compendium vs Epitome - What's the difference?

compendium | epitome |

As nouns the difference between compendium and epitome

is that compendium is a short, complete summary; an abstract while epitome is (of a class of items) the embodiment or encapsulation of.

compendium

Noun

(en-noun)
  • A short, complete summary; an abstract.
  • A list or collection of various items.
  • * 2008 , Caroline Murphy, Murder of a Medici Princess (page 157)
  • It was this last variety which formed the backbone of the first published Italian compendium of games, Innocenzo Ringhieri's One Hundred Games of Liberality and Ingenuity of 1551, dedicated to Cathérine de' Medici.
  • # (label) A collected body of information on the standards of strength, purity, and quality of drugs.
  • Derived terms

    * compendial

    epitome

    English

    Noun

    (wikipedia epitome) (en-noun)
  • (of a class of items) The embodiment or encapsulation of.
  • (of a class of items) A representative example.
  • (of a class of items) The height; the best.
  • (of a written document) A brief summary.
  • Usage notes

    The sense ‘the height, the best’ is considered incorrect by some; instead, `pinnacle' may be preferred.

    Synonyms

    * (an embodiment of) in a nutshell (modern idiom), synopsis * (the best) greatest * (a summary) abstract, synopsis

    Antonyms

    * antithesis

    Derived terms

    * epitomize * epitomic * epitomical