compound1
noun
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/
- a thing that is composed of two or more separate elements; a mixture: the air smelled like a compound of diesel and petrol fumes
- (also chemical compound) a substance formed from two or more elements chemically united in fixed proportions: a compound of hydrogen and oxygen lead compounds
- a word made up of two or more existing words.
adjective
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒmpəʊnd/
- made up or consisting of several parts or elements: a compound noun
- (of interest) payable on both capital and the accumulated interest: compound interestCompare with simple
- Biology (especially of a leaf, flower, or eye) consisting of two or more simple parts or individuals in combination.
verb
Pronunciation: /kəmˈpaʊnd/
- 1make up (a composite whole); constitute: a dialect compounded of Spanish and Dutch
- mix or combine (ingredients or constituents): the groundnuts were compounded into cattle food
- reckon (interest) on previously accumulated interest: the yield at which the interest is compounded
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. compound1 (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