compound
1composed 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, asare 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.
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.
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.
to make a bargain; come to terms; compromise.
to settle a debt, claim, etc., by compromise.
to form a compound.
Origin of compound
1word story For compound
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, adjective
- com·pound·ed·ness, noun
- com·pound·er, noun
- non·com·pound·a·ble, adjective
- un·com·pound·a·ble, adjective
- un·com·pound·ed, adjective
- un·com·pound·ing, adjective
Words Nearby compound
Other definitions for compound (2 of 2)
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
2word story For compound
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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 | VoxThis 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 StudentsA 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-ScienceAt 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 NewsLocal 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 | THE DAILY BEASTLess than 30 minutes after the firefight started, commandos entered the compound and found the mortally wounded hostages.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe Holy City, specifically the al-Aqsa compound, has been the flashpoint for the latest round of conflict.
Now the lead breacher explained how he cut through the steel doors bin Laden used to seal himself into the compound at night.
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 TracyThey held the compound against repeated assaults, and lost several men in hand-to-hand fighting.
The Red Year | Louis TracyPassing a bungalow that was blazing furiously, he saw in the compound the corpses of two women.
The Red Year | Louis TracyThe body of a young woman was found in the compound outside my bungalow, done to death in precisely the same way.
Uncanny Tales | VariousThe compound was washed on the fifth of May, and a grain of gold weighing one and one-half reals was obtained.
British Dictionary definitions for compound (1 of 2)
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
to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product
to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etc: to compound a new plastic
to intensify by an added element: his 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 consideration: to 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
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 verb: the 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 three: six-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
Origin of compound
1Derived forms of compound
- compoundable, adjective
- compounder, noun
British Dictionary definitions for compound (2 of 2)
/ (ˈkɒmpaʊnd) /
(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
Origin of compound
2Collins 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
[ 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.
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
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.
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