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compound

¹

[ adjective kom-pound, kom-pound; noun kom-pound; verb kuhm-pound, kom-pound ]

/ adjective ˈkɒm paʊnd, kɒmˈpaʊnd; noun ˈkɒm paʊnd; verb kəmˈpaʊnd, ˈkɒm paʊnd /

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See synonyms for: compound / compounded / compounding / compounds on Thesaurus.com

adjective

composed of two or more parts, elements, or ingredients: Soap is a compound substance.

having or involving two or more actions or functions: The mouth is a compound organ.

Grammar. of or relating to a compound sentence or compound-complex sentence.

(of a word)

consisting of two or more parts that are also bases, forming a compound noun,compound adjective,compound verb, or compound preposition, as housetop, many-sided, playact, or upon.
consisting of any two or more parts that have identifiable meaning, as a base and a noninflectional affix (return, follower), a base and a combining form (biochemistry), two combining forms (ethnography), or a combining form and a noninflectional affix (aviary, dentoid).

(of a verb tense) consisting of an auxiliary verb and a main verb, as are swimming, have spoken, or will write (opposed to simple).

Botany. composed of several similar parts that combine to form a whole: a compound fruit.

Zoology. composed of a number of distinct individuals that are connected to form a united whole or colony, as coral.

Music. of or relating to compound time.

Machinery. noting an engine or turbine expanding the same steam or the like in two successive chambers to do work at two ranges of pressure.

noun

something formed by compounding or combining parts, elements, etc.

Chemistry. a pure substance composed of two or more elements whose composition is constant.

a compound word, especially one composed of two or more words that are otherwise unaltered, as moonflower or rainstorm.

verb (used with object)

to put together into a whole; combine: to compound drugs to form a new medicine.

to make or form by combining parts, elements, etc.; construct: to compound a new plan from parts of several former plans.

to make up or constitute: all the organs and members that compound a human body.

to settle or adjust by agreement, especially for a reduced amount, as a debt.

Law. to agree, for a consideration, not to prosecute or punish a wrongdoer for: to compound a crime or felony.

to pay (interest) on the accrued interest as well as the principal: My bank compounds interest quarterly.

to increase or add to: The misery of his loneliness was now compounded by his poverty.

Electricity. to connect a portion of the field turns of (a direct-current dynamo) in series with the armature circuit.

verb (used without object)

to make a bargain; come to terms; compromise.

to settle a debt, claim, etc., by compromise.

to form a compound.

VIDEO FOR COMPOUND

How To Know If A Term Is One Word Or Two Words

English loves to take existing words and smash them together so they act as one unit. This is called compounding. But how do you know if a word is one word or two?

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of compound

¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb componen, compounen, compownen, from Old French compon- (stem of compondre ), from Latin compōnere, equivalent to com- com- + pōnere “to put”; Middle English adjective compouned, past participle of componen, as above

historical usage of compound

The English verb compound, first appearing in Middle English in the late 14th century as compounen, compownen, comes from Old French compondre, compundre “to direct, arrange,” from Latin compōnere “to put together, add together, match, match up.” The adjective compound, originally a past participle of the verb, is also recorded at the end of the 14th century. The noun, a development of the adjectival sense, is recorded considerably later, in the first half of the 16th century.
The final, unetymological -d in compound arose during the 16th century; it is of the same origin as the -d in the English word sound (meaning “noise”), which developed from the earlier English soun (from Old French son, from Latin sonus ), and the archaic verb round “to whisper,” a derivative of rune “a secret.”

OTHER WORDS FROM compound

com·pound·a·ble, adjectivecom·pound·ed·ness, nouncom·pound·er, nounnon·com·pound·a·ble, adjective

un·com·pound·a·ble, adjectiveun·com·pound·ed, adjectiveun·com·pound·ing, adjective

Words nearby compound

composure, compotation, compotator, compote, compotier, compound, compound annual return, compound-complex sentence, compound engine, compound eye, compound fault

Other definitions for compound (2 of 2)

compound²

[ kom-pound ]

/ ˈkɒm paʊnd /

noun

an enclosure, especially one for prisoners.

an enclosed or protected area where a group of people live or work, such as a military base.

any separate cluster of homes, often owned by members of the same family.

Origin of compound

²

First recorded in 1670–80; alteration, by association with compound¹, of Malay kampung “village, collection, gathering”; cf. kampong

historical usage of compound

The noun compound “a large, enclosed area” most likely comes from Malay kampong, kampung “fenced-in space, enclosure, village, a part of town inhabited by a particular nationality.” Compound originally referred to the European (originally Portuguese, Dutch, English) complexes of residences, factories, and warehouses in the East Indies, India, and China. Kampong, kampung was associated in English with the noun compound “something consisting of several parts” by 1679, when the sense “a large, enclosed area” is first recorded. The term was also used in the 19th century to describe a similar confined living area for African laborers, especially miners. By the mid-20th century, the sense of “large, walled-in space in a prison or other detention camp” first appears.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compound in a sentence

With Covid-19 compounding the health threat of wildfire smoke, this year’s fires are putting an unprecedented strain on communities.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
This could release compounds that might move through the air — right to someone’s nose.
Stinky success: Scientists identify the chemistry of B.O.|Alison Pearce Stevens|September 15, 2020|Science News For Students
A leucine-rich diet may increase your risk of obesity or type 2 diabetes, in theory because the compound sends your body a “time to grow!”
BCAA supplements can enhance your workout, but should you take them?|Amy Schellenbaum|September 10, 2020|Popular-Science
At Towson University in Maryland, chemist Shannon Stitzel is tracing cocoa to its roots using organic compounds, which are mostly produced by the cocoa plant itself.
How does a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste?|Carolyn Beans|September 10, 2020|Science News

Local media reports that Beijing initiated the idea of universal testing, rather than Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, have compounded those concerns.
Hong Kong’s citywide COVID-19 testing has become a barometer of public trust|eamonbarrett|September 9, 2020|Fortune
He scrambled outside to find a 25-foot-wide crater just beyond the mud wall surrounding his family compound.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Less than 30 minutes after the firefight started, commandos entered the compound and found the mortally wounded hostages.
Did U.S. Policy Get Luke Somers Killed?|Shane Harris|December 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They say that the Israelis framed him in order to light the powder keg of religious war over the al-Aqsa compound.
In Jerusalem Home Demolitions, the Biblical Justice of Revenge|Creede Newton|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Holy City, specifically the al-Aqsa compound, has been the flashpoint for the latest round of conflict.
The Radicals Who Slaughtered a Synagogue|Creede Newton|November 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now the lead breacher explained how he cut through the steel doors bin Laden used to seal himself into the compound at night.
I Shot Bin Laden|Elliot Ackerman|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He, with others, thinking the miss-sahib had gone to church, was smoking the hookah of gossip in a neighboring compound.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
They held the compound against repeated assaults, and lost several men in hand-to-hand fighting.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
Passing a bungalow that was blazing furiously, he saw in the compound the corpses of two women.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The body of a young woman was found in the compound outside my bungalow, done to death in precisely the same way.
Uncanny Tales|Various
The compound was washed on the fifth of May, and a grain of gold weighing one and one-half reals was obtained.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various

British Dictionary definitions for compound (1 of 2)

compound¹

noun (ˈkɒmpaʊnd)

a substance that contains atoms of two or more chemical elements held together by chemical bonds

any combination of two or more parts, aspects, etc

a word formed from two existing words or combining forms

verb (kəmˈpaʊnd) (mainly tr)

to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product

to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etcto compound a new plastic

to intensify by an added elementhis anxiety was compounded by her crying

finance to calculate or pay (interest) on both the principal and its accrued interest

(also intr) to come to an agreement in (a quarrel, dispute, etc)

(also intr) to settle (a debt, promise, etc) for less than what is owed; compromise

law to agree not to prosecute in return for a considerationto compound a crime

electrical engineering to place duplex windings on the field coil of (a motor or generator), one acting as a shunt, the other being in series with the main circuit, thus making the machine self-regulating

adjective (ˈkɒmpaʊnd)

composed of or created by the combination of two or more parts, elements, etc

(of a word) consisting of elements that are also words or productive combining forms

(of a sentence) formed by coordination of two or more sentences

(of a verb or the tense, mood, etc, of a verb) formed by using an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verbthe future in English is a compound tense involving the use of such auxiliary verbs as `` shall '' and `` will ''

music

denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of threesix-four is an example of compound time
(of an interval) greater than an octave

zoology another word for colonial (def. 6)

(of a steam engine, turbine, etc) having multiple stages in which the steam or working fluid from one stage is used in a subsequent stage

(of a piston engine) having a turbocharger powered by a turbine in the exhaust stream

Derived forms of compound

compoundable, adjectivecompounder, noun

Word Origin for compound

C14: from earlier compounen, from Old French compondre to collect, set in order, from Latin compōnere

British Dictionary definitions for compound (2 of 2)

compound²

/ (ˈkɒmpaʊnd) /

noun

(esp formerly in South Africa) an enclosure, esp on the mines, containing the living quarters for Black workers

any similar enclosure, such as a camp for prisoners of war

(formerly in India, China, etc) the enclosure in which a European's house or factory stood

Word Origin for compound

C17: by folk etymology (influenced by compound 1) from Malay kampong village

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for compound

compound

[ kŏm′pound′ ]

A substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions joined by chemical bonds into a molecule. The elements cannot be separated by physical means. Water, for example, is a compound having two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom per molecule.

Adjective

Composed of more than one part, as a compound eye or leaf.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for compound

compound

In chemistry, a substance containing two or more elements in definite proportions.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.