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Synonyms

decompound

American  
[dee-kuhm-pound, dee-kom-pound, dee-kom-pound, -kuhm-] / ˌdi kəmˈpaʊnd, diˈkɒm paʊnd, ˌdi kɒmˈpaʊnd, -kəm- /

verb (used with object)

  1. to decompose.

  2. Obsolete. to compound a second or further time.

adjective

  1. Botany. divided into compound divisions.

  2. composed of compounds the parts of which are also compounds, as a bipinnate leaf.

decompound British  
/ ˌdiːkəmˈpaʊnd /

adjective

  1. (of a compound leaf) having leaflets consisting of several distinct parts

  2. made up of one or more compounds

"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

verb

  1. a less common word for decompose

  2. obsolete to mix with or form from one or more compounds

"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

Other Word Forms

  • undecompounded adjective

Etymology

Origin of decompound

First recorded in 1605–15; de- + compound 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Leaves irregularly pinnately decompound, the rather small leaflets incised.—Centreville,

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa

Leaves 2-3 times compound or decompound — 24. 18a.

From The Plants of Michigan Simple Keys for the Identification of the Native Seed Plants of the State by Gleason, Henry Allan

June–Aug. S. Sóphia, L. A similar hoary species, with decompound leaves; pods slender, 6–15´´ long, ascending; seeds 1-ranked.—Sparingly naturalized from Europe.

From The Manual of the Botany of the Northern United States Including the District East of the Mississippi and North of North Carolina and Tennessee by Gray, Asa

We have this advantage in the analysis of atmospherical air, being able both to decompound it, and to form it a new in the most satisfactory manner.

From Elements of Chemistry, In a New Systematic Order, Containing all the Modern Discoveries by Lavoisier, Antoine

I find decompound for compound in Heylyn's Microcosmos, 1627, p. 249., thus:—"The English language is a decompound of Dutch, French, and Latin."

From Notes and Queries, Number 43, August 24, 1850 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.