Main definitions of compound in English

: compound¹ compound²

compound¹

noun

1A thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture.
‘the air smelled like a compound of diesel and petrol fumes’
- ‘During these processes, the energy from these compounds can be released for use by the body or stored in body tissues, especially the liver, muscles, and body fat.’
- ‘Many of these are natural and found in food at doses millions of times greater than those to which we are exposed by synthetic compounds.’
- ‘Pyrolized Mobil jet oil showed the greatest complex pattern, with overlapping peaks indicating poor separation of compounds.’
- ‘It is easier to identify a specific target with newer sensitizers, as these tend to be a pure compound rather than a mixture.’
- ‘Quick-setting cement compounds are a mixture of cement, sand and other ingredients, and are designed to mix with water.’
- ‘Very often farmers will have to choose between a blend or a true compound.’
- ‘These two fears compose a powerful compound - sufficient to prop up governments everywhere on earth for several millennia.’
- ‘Simply stated an object composed of many compounds can have one frequency.’
- ‘Improvements were made over the years to the syntheses of all these compounds, but I'm not going to go into the details.’
- ‘An enormous number of naturally occurring and synthetic compounds are known to be photosensitizers commonly used in photobiological studies.’
- ‘A brick's color can be attributed to its clay composition, any added compounds, its firing temperature and any surface treatments.’
- ‘In the last 100 years, humans have introduced hundreds of new, synthetic compounds into the environment.’
- ‘The two sets of compounds are separated by partitioning a mixture between phosphate buffer and ether.’
- ‘Now the sophistication of the device has authorities pretty rattled, especially as a unique mixture of explosive compounds was involved.’
- ‘A small sample of the compound (or a mixture of compounds) is placed in a strong magnetic field.’
- ‘Also, the relative amounts of the different compounds of the mixture tend to be more even, which is reflected in lower dominance values.’
- ‘The most popular gallery was the one dedicated to works in chocolate, spices, birdseed and so on, the smell a compound of the enticing and the fetid.’
- ‘There is a particular smell, a compound, I think, of floor polish and burnt egg, which I shall forever associate with boarding school.’
- ‘If the different compounds of a mixture act synergistically, greater toxicity or deterrence may result.’
- ‘He prepared mixtures of many compounds, which he used to paint his posters.’
amalgam, amalgamation, combination, composite, blend, mixture, mix, admixture, meld, fusion, synthesis, consolidation
View synonyms
1. 1.1 A substance formed from two or more elements chemically united in fixed proportions.
  ‘a compound of hydrogen and oxygen’
  ‘lead compounds’
  ‘The empirical formula of a compound is that which is obtained through laboratory research.’
  ‘Organic compounds and other covalently bonded molecules do not dissolve well in water.’
  ‘Diesel particulate matter consists of soot mixed with anything from volatile organic compounds to sulphur and nitrous oxides.’
  ‘But so far only 120 plant derived chemical compounds have been developed into modern drugs.’
  ‘Chemists most often use distillation to separate and purify compounds in a mixture.’
  ‘For this he designed and produced an aromatic chemical compound.’
  ‘Metals usually make positive ions when the compounds are dissolved in solution.’
  ‘When a halogen combines with another element, the resulting compound is called a halide.’
  ‘Chemistry is the study of elements and compounds and interactions between substances.’
  ‘Also, the burning of methane turns the carbon in it into a compound (carbon dioxide) that is far less potent as a greenhouse gas.’
  ‘The layers of plants and animals slowly broke down into simple substances called hydrocarbons, compounds of hydrogen and carbon.’
  ‘Exhaust gases include harmful volatile organic compounds or hydrocarbons, chemicals such as nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.’
  ‘This energy is used to produce new organic compounds form carbon dioxide, and thus enables bacteria to grow and divide in the absence of light.’
  ‘Substitution reactions of organic compounds can also involve free radicals.’
  ‘Once the active chemical compound has been identified, its molecular structure must be determined.’
  ‘When they do so, they form ionic compounds.’
  ‘Dr. Miller says a compound called nitric oxide is known to play a role in the dilation of the endothelium.’
  ‘These substances are compounds because the molecules that make it up have two kinds of atoms.’
  ‘Chemical forces are forces caused by other compounds or molecules that act on substances.’
  ‘Nitrogenous compounds have become a major global pollutant in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems.’
2. 1.2 A word made up of two or more existing words.
  ‘The orthography was developed by Nance from the surviving texts, and vocabulary is extended by analogizing from Breton and Welsh and forming compounds from existing words.’
  ‘We also included some compounds with self-, like the ubiquitous self-identify, which has a number of uses.’
  ‘They can be used as components of compounds, but if they are used on their own they must be used with possessive prefixes.’
  ‘It's certainly not a compound, and I can't imagine what two meanings might be evoked by this word in order to produce the intended effect.’
  ‘Names for body parts such as ai ‘eye’ and maus ‘mouth’ are used as metaphors in many pidgins and Creoles, and occur quite often in compounds.’
  ‘Terms like megastore or hypertext are also called compounds, because they are combinations of free-standing words with prefixes or suffixes.’
  ‘You could compare this to an English compound like ‘chair lift’.’
  ‘Here's a brief listing of some of the many compounds starting in cyber.’
  ‘American English has the general term car for railway vehicles, which British English only uses in compounds, such as restaurant car or sleeping car.’
  ‘In New Zealand the word Maori was productive in forming compounds: Maori axe, Maori welcome, Maori scone, Maori council, and so on.’
  ‘When two words are joined together, the resultant compound cannot be interpreted on the basis of the separate, individual components.’
  ‘The first case concerns the use of a noun as a modifier in a compound.’
  ‘The Oxford English Dictionary lists 125 compounds of the word ‘snow’ alone!’
  ‘The name is a compound of two words meaning The Vine of Death or The Vine of the Spirits.’
  ‘They really are all around us, these compounds that are six nouns deep or more.’
  ‘It's not the dictionary term I may or may not vaguely remember, which was not a German compound.’
  ‘Lexicalisation doesn't have to involve making up a new word, it could be a compound, or an existing word could be broadened.’
  ‘Compounds of conditionals are a hard problem for everyone.’

adjective

1Made up or consisting of several parts or elements.
‘a compound noun’
- ‘Too bad we can't hear the pronunciation: does any gate also have compound pronunciation, like anyway?’
- ‘The compound nouns are chasing the adverbs out of the language.’
- ‘He did so by combining two complex ideas - or at least two abstract compound nouns - in a new way.’
- ‘When you have two different elements, there are usually only two words in the compound name.’
- ‘So in this pundit's view, the spelling determines compound status and thus the plural.’
- ‘The compound term bloc-notes is an old one, whose meaning strikes me as rather inappropriate as a basis for extension to blogging.’
- ‘The new company about to be born will have a compound name.’
- ‘That is, they cannot be used in isolation but must occur either as part of a compound word or with a possessive prefix.’
- ‘I was about to take my colleague to task for failing to hyphenate ‘best known’ when using it as a compound adjective.’
composite, complex
View synonyms
1. 1.1 (of interest) payable on both capital and the accumulated interest.
  ‘compound interest’
  Compare with simple
  ‘And why not take advantage of compound interest while you're at it?’
  ‘After all, it's silly to spend $300 billion today when, after compound interest, it will be worth $500 billion in a few decades.’
  ‘Because ultimately, you know, the miracle of compound interest becomes a nightmare.’
  ‘One easy way to use interest to your advantage is to understand and apply the magic of compound interest.’
  ‘The current three-year issue pays a compound interest rate of 1.05% over inflation.’
  ‘You can also try putting a few numbers into our compound interest calculator.’
  ‘As simplistic as this may sound, she instinctively understands the power of compound interest.’
  ‘Effectively, their Lordships' decision enables banks to charge compound interest even at the penalty rate chargeable upon the customer's default.’
  ‘Some experimentation with our compound interest calculators can then show you how your investment plans are bearing up.’
  ‘Given the power of compound interest and plenty of patience, even people on a modest income can become much richer.’
  ‘The bank rate, which garners much attention as an indicator of the health and direction of the economy, is a compound interest rate.’
  ‘For the hero of Mark Twain's story things came a relatively easily, but the rest of us must rely on the ‘miracle’ of compound interest.’
  ‘Thanks to the power of compound interest, the longer that you invest, the greater your gain.’
  ‘The current three-year issue pays a compound interest rate of 1.05 % over inflation.’
  ‘This highlights the very significant role played by compound rates of interest.’
  ‘So should we all assume a lower growth rate when playing with our compound interest calculators?’
  ‘Taxpayers, however, run into problems because of the city's high compound interest rate applied to unpaid amounts - a steep 18 per cent a year.’
  ‘This is where compound interest calculators can be so useful, provided you don't get carried away with outlandish annual growth rates.’
  ‘Under private accounts, saving at younger ages counts more than saving at older ages because early savings have more years to accumulate compound interest.’
  ‘The effect of compound interest, Einstein's ‘eighth wonder of the world’, can also be seen.’
2. 1.2Biology (especially of a leaf, flower, or eye) consisting of two or more simple parts or individuals in combination.
  ‘Leymus chinensis flowers are hermaphroditic and arranged in compound spikes.’
  ‘The female reproductive structures of flowers are the carpels, which are either free, or are fused to form a compound ovary.’
  ‘The buckwheat inflorescence is a compound raceme that produces laterally flowered cymose clusters, the number of which was affected by the position of the inflorescence along the main stem.’
  ‘These specialized plants generally have spike-like compound inflorescences, comprised of paired cymules of tiny flowers that are sessile within succulent free or fused bracts.’
  ‘Leaves are opposite on the stem and mostly compound with three to five leaflets.’

verb

[with object]

1Make up (a composite whole); constitute.
‘a dialect compounded of Spanish and Dutch’
- ‘The renouncers' attitude was compounded of dark bitterness and bright hope.’
- ‘All animals are compounded of various organs, each of which exercising a separate function, and in a manner peculiar to itself, concurs to the preservation of the whole.’
- ‘The horrifying scene was compounded of darkness, silhouettes of mountains, and beyond the mountains, a red glow which rose to the sky, from remote fires.’
- ‘We can see wave movements not just compounded of different qualities but compounded of different, even noncontiguous, spaces.’
- ‘His style was compounded of elements drawn from Titian, Dürer, and Parmigianino, whose prints he copied.’
- ‘Society is compounded of all kinds of interests and meanings involved with social action.’
- ‘That illusion, like the touching belief that one party is always better than the other, is compounded of near-equal parts naiveté and cynicism.’
- ‘This is effectively a pot of stew originally compounded of cheap cuts of mutton, potatoes, and onions.’
- ‘It was compounded of loose soil to be sure, but also of a great deal more, including soot and ashes and street litter, and the fecal matter of the legion horses on whom all transport in London depended.’
- ‘At the sight of them a rude, equally animal resentment rises in me, compounded of shame, fear, and ignoble joy not to be one of them.’
- ‘All propositions are simple or compounded of simples.’
be composed of, be made up of, be constituted of, be formed from
View synonyms
1. 1.1 Mix or combine (ingredients or constituents)
  ‘the groundnuts were compounded into cattle food’
  ‘As Greek pharmacists found that there was more money to be made in compounding and mixing cosmetics, physicians were compelled out of necessity to return to making their own drugs.’
  ‘We compound various strengths and combinations of thyroid hormone.’
  ‘We compounded the mixture of the medicinal herbs according to the season and the patient's condition.’
  ‘When we compound prescriptions, we mix ingredients specific to each patient's needs.’
  ‘The pharmacist then compounds the necessary ingredients and dispenses the medication to the patient.’
  mix, combine, blend, put together, amalgamate, alloy, fuse, synthesize, coalesce, mingle, meld, intermingle
  View synonyms
2. 1.2 Reckon (interest) on previously accumulated interest.
  ‘the yield at which the interest is compounded’
  ‘Compounded annually, that growth rate is dramatic.’
  ‘This may be because not only is the Royal Bank of Scotland rate currently pitched below that of its rivals HSBC and Barclays, but for some bizarre reason the interest is not compounded.’
  ‘The AER shows what the notional interest rate would be if the interest was compounded and paid once a year.’
  ‘I-Bonds deliver a guaranteed rate of interest above the inflation rate and the interest they earn is compounded semiannually.’
  ‘Contract law principles may require such interest to be compounded so as to award the plaintiff the benefit of the bargain.’
  ‘Interest on these bonds is accumulated monthly and compounded every six months.’
  ‘Each thread compounds interest on half the loans in a database.’
  ‘He further concluded that interest could continue to be compounded even after a bank had demanded repayment or called up the loan.’
  ‘Interest was to be compounded in accordance with the bank's current practice from time to time.’
  ‘The savings will earn an interest rate of 5 per cent compounded annually.’
  ‘While I'm puttering around playing with words, other people are investing and accumulating and feathering their nests and compounding their interest.’
2Make (something bad) worse; intensify the negative aspects of.
‘prisoners' lack of contact with the outside world compounds their problems’
- ‘Little or no analysis is done and poor planning is compounded by even worse implementation strategies.’
- ‘Management crises are compounding the problems.’
- ‘Major problems in agriculture and structural difficulties in the eurozone compounded the negative effects from slower global trade.’
- ‘It compounds the potential inarticulateness of boys.’
- ‘When it is compounded by the anxiety that accompanies panic disorder, the patient and physician have a delicate situation on their hands.’
- ‘This is further compounded by varying ideas of what constitutes proper and improper dress.’
- ‘The lack of sanitation facilities compounds the trauma of displacement and loss.’
- ‘His uncouth son who shows no respect to his illiterate father compounds the dilemma.’
- ‘Some horse owners actually compound the negative effects by adding corn oil to the horse's diet thinking that it offers a beneficial source of energy.’
- ‘The potential problem of reduced access revenue in a more competitive environment is compounded by the negative outlook for media and advertising services revenue.’
- ‘But the report merely compounds the confusion by never once defining its terms.’
- ‘Sometimes stresses outside the gym compound the situation.’
- ‘All of this is compounded by the fact that the whole stalking and lurking phase of these sequences is tedious and suspense-free.’
- ‘The nighttime pilot must deal with all the visual challenges common in daylight, compounded with a whole new set of challenges resulting from darkness.’
- ‘It simply compounds the strategic errors at the very top of the party.’
- ‘Adolescents seek to relieve tension through risk behaviors such as substance use that only compound the negative psychological and physical toll.’
- ‘It merely compounds the problem as interest on your outstanding loans accumulates.’
- ‘Inflation and tax will eat into the value of any savings, and a poor interest rate will only compound this.’
- ‘Thus her social status compounds her gender injustice.’
- ‘The paper also points out that individual land uses often interact synergistically, compounding their negative effect on habitats and birds.’
aggravate, worsen, make worse, add to, augment, exacerbate, intensify, heighten, increase, magnify
View synonyms
3Law
Forbear from prosecuting (a felony) in exchange for money or other consideration.
- ‘Since the effect of compounding an offence is that of acquittal, the perpetrators would also know that they cannot be tried again for the same offence.’
1. 3.1 Settle (a debt or other matter) in exchange for money or other consideration.
  ‘he compounded the case with the defendant for a cash payment’

Origin

Late Middle English compoune (verb), from Old French compoun-, present tense stem of compondre, from Latin componere ‘put together’. The final -d was added in the 16th century on the pattern of expound and propound. compound (sense 2 of the verb) arose through a misinterpretation of the legal phrase compound a felony, which means ‘refrain from prosecuting a felony in exchange for money or other consideration’. This led to the use of compound in legal contexts to mean ‘make something bad worse’, which then became accepted in general usage.

Pronunciation

compound

/ˈkɒmpaʊnd/