Lat. In the civil law. Compensation, or set-off. A proceeding re sembling a set-off in the common law, being a claim on the part of the defendant to have an amount due to him from the plaintiff deducted from his demand. Dig. 16, 2; Inst. 4, 6, 30, 39; 3 BI. Comm. 305. —Compensatio criminis. (Set-off of crime or