com|pat|i|bly

com|pat|i|ble «kuhm PAT uh buhl», adj, noun.

–adj.

1. able to exist together; that can get on well together; agreeing; in harmony: »

Cats and birds are seldom compatible.

SYNONYM(S): agreeable, congenial, congruous.

2. Biology. able to be transferred or transplanted into another's body without being rejected: »

compatible blood cells or tissue.

3. Botany. capable of cross-fertilization.

4. Chemistry. able to be mixed or combined without interfering with one another: »

compatible drugs.

5. (of computer software or hardware) able to be used with different models or systems without adaptation: »

Ideally, all of our “applications” software…would be “command compatible” and “file compatible”—they would respond to the same instructions from you, and they would work comfortably with each other's documents (Stewart Brand).

6. a) of or designating a system of television in which color signals can be received in black and white on conventional sets. b) of or having to do with stereophonic sound that can be received on a monophonic receiver.

–n.

a computer program or equipment that can be used in different models or systems without adaptation: »

The current family of I.B.M. personal computers and compatibles uses an operating system called MSDOS, for Microsoft Disk Operating System (Peter H. Lewis).

╂[< Medieval Latin compatibilis < Latin compatī; see etym. at compassion (Cf. ↑compassion)]

–com|pat|i|bly, adverb.