compound

 

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compound

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Possibly from Malay kampong, kampung (“group of buildings, village”), via Dutch or Portuguese,^[1] altered under the influence of Etymology 2. Doublet of kampung.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/
• (General American) enPR: kŏm'pound, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

compound (plural compounds)

1. An enclosure within which workers, prisoners, or soldiers are confined.

   Synonyms: gaol, jail, pen, pound, prison; see also Thesaurus:prison

2. An enclosure for secure storage.
   • 2020 December 2, “Network News: News in brief: More cycle spaces”, in Rail, page 27:

     A total of 75 cycle spaces are being installed at three Greater Anglia stations - [...]. And a secure compound for bicycles is being built at Cambridge North.

3. A group of buildings situated close together, e.g. for a school or block of offices.
   • 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-1:

     Shepard: What kind of proof do you have that the major is dangerous?
     Transmission: Three days ago, we sent two Alliance representatives to meet with him at his compound. They have disappeared. We believe Kyle and his followers killed them.
     Transmission: That compound is a cult, Shepard. They call him 'Father Kyle' now. He's set himself up as some kind of religious leader.

   • 2019 March 7, Yuda Masayuki, “Thai court: pro-Thaksin party must disband for nominating princess”, in Nikkei Asian Review‎^[1], Nikkei Inc, retrieved 2019-03-07:

     Some 20 supporters managed to get inside the court compounds. About half an hour after the verdict was delivered, they gathered near the Constitutional Court entrance and shouted: "On March 24, use your pen to oust the dictator."

From Middle English compounen, from Middle French componre, compondre (“to put together”), from Latin componō, from Latin com- (“together”) + ponō (“to put”).

• adj. and noun enPR: kŏm'pound
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/

    • Audio (Southern England):

      (file)

  • (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/
• verb enPR: kəmpound'
  • (UK, US, Canada) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpaʊnd/

    • Audio (Southern California):

      (file)

• Rhymes: -aʊnd

compound (not comparable)

1. Composed of elements; not simple.

   Synonym: composite

   Antonym: simple

   a compound word

   • 1725, Isaac Watts, Logick: Or, The Right Use of Reason in the Enquiry after Truth, […], 2nd edition, London: […] John Clark and Richard Hett, […], Emanuel Matthews, […], and Richard Ford, […], published 1726, →OCLC:

     Compound substances are made up of two or more simple substances.

2. (mathematics) Dealing with numbers of various denominations of quantity, or with processes more complex than the simple process.

   compound addition

   compound proportion

3. (music) An octave higher than originally (i.e. a compound major second is equivalent to a major ninth).

compound (plural compounds)

2. Anything made by combining several things.

   Synonyms: amalgam, blend, combination, composite, mix, mixture

4. (chemistry) A substance formed by chemical bonding of two or more elements in definite proportions by weight.

   Coordinate terms: substance, element, mixture, composite

5. (chemistry, dated) A substance made from any combination of ingredients.
6. (linguistics) A lexeme that consists of more than one stem.

   Synonym: compound word

7. (law) A legal procedure whereby a criminal or delinquent avoids prosecution in a court in exchange for his payment to the authorities of a financial penalty or fine.

   Hyponyms: closed compound, open compound

   • 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Position vectors, homologous chromosomes and gamma rays: Promoting disciplinary literacy through Secondary Phrase Lists”, in English for Specific Purposes, →DOI, page 8:

     Compositionally there is no great distinction between cell wall and cell surface, both are relatively transparent compounds, but both parts of the cell are of high significance in Biology due to their central role in cell functioning.

8. (linguistics) A lexeme that consists of more than one stem or an affix, e.g. "bookshop", "high school" or "non-standard".
   • 1989, OED2:

     In the majority of the compounds of non- the hyphen is usually retained; but it is commonly omitted in the case of a few, such as nonconformist, nonentity, nonsense, in which the etymology has been to some extent lost sight of.

9. (rail transport) A compound locomotive, a steam locomotive with both high-pressure and low-pressure cylinders.
   • 1961 March, ""Balmore"", “Driving and firing modern French steam locomotives”, in Trains Illustrated, page 148:

     From a dead stand, with regulator full open and the lever at about 50 per cent we got up to about 60 m.p.h. by the top of the bank. The big compound was making plenty of noise - but what musical and wonderful noise!

10. Short for compound exercise.

compound (third-person singular simple present compounds, present participle compounding, simple past and past participle compounded)

1. (transitive) To form (a resulting mixture) by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts; to mingle with something else.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mix

   to compound a medicine

   • c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene v]:

     Only compound me with forgotten dust.

   • 1712 July 2 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “SATURDAY, June 21, 1712”, in The Spectator, number 411; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume V, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     We have the power of altering […] and compounding those images […] into all the varieties of picture.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:

     incapacitating him from successfully compounding a tale of this sort

2. (transitive, law) To settle by agreeing on less than the claim, or on different terms than those stipulated.

   Synonym: settle

   to compound a debt

3. (transitive) To settle amicably; to adjust by agreement.

   Synonym: compromise

   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     I pray, my lords, let me compound this strife.

   • 1777, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal, II.iii:

     No! no—if Charles has done nothing false or mean, I shall compound for his extravagance

4. (intransitive) To come to terms of agreement; to settle by a compromise.

   Synonyms: agree; see also Thesaurus:agree

   to compound with someone / for something

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Measure for Measure”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     Here's a fellow will help you to-morrow; […] compound with him by the year.

   • 1702–1704, Edward [Hyde, 1st] Earl of Clarendon, “(please specify |book=I to XVI)”, in The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Begun in the Year 1641. […], Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed at the Theater, published 1707, →OCLC:

     They were at last glad to compound for his bare commitment to the Tower.

   • 1609, Richard Carew, The Survey of Cornwall. […], new edition, London: […] B. Law, […]; Penzance, Cornwall: J. Hewett, published 1769, →OCLC:

     [Cornwall] compounded to furnish ten oxen after Michaelmas for thirty pounds.

   • 1662 (indicated as 1663), [Samuel Butler], “[The First Part of Hudibras]”, in Hudibras. The First and Second Parts. […], London: […] John Martyn and Henry Herringman, […], published 1678; republished in A[lfred] R[ayney] Waller, editor, Hudibras: Written in the Time of the Late Wars, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1905, →OCLC:

     Compound for sins they are inclined to / By damning those they have no mind to.

5. (transitive, obsolete) To compose; to constitute.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:compose

   • c. 1605–1608, William Shakespeare, “The Life of Tymon of Athens”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]:

     his pomp and all what state compounds

6. (intransitive, finance) To increase in value with interest, where the interest is earned on both the principal sum and prior earned interest.
7. (transitive, see usage notes) To worsen a situation.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:make matters worse

   • 2020 April 12, Simon Tisdall, “US's global reputation hits rock-bottom over Trump's coronavirus response”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     […] This latest example of nationalistic self-interest compounded anger across the EU over Trump’s travel ban, imposed last month without consultation or scientific justification.

8. (horse racing, intransitive) Of a horse: to fail to maintain speed.
   • 1855, The Sporting Review, volume 34, page 240:

     At the hill, the Warrior must have been at least ten lengths in front of Wild Dayrell; but he compounded about 200 yards on the T. Y. C. side of the Red House.

The usage in sense 7 above, “to worsen a situation” is widespread but not wholly accepted. The original meaning of the word (see senses 2–4) implies resolution of a problem, not worsening. It has been suggested (Fraser 1973) that the reverse usage arose by confusion with phrases such as compound interest.

• compoundable
• compounder
• compounding pharmacy
• recompound

• Appendix:Compounds

•   Compound in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• Compound word, encyclopedia.com
• “compound”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “compound”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “compound”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, →ISBN.
• “compound”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “compound” (US) / “compound” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.
• compound in Britannica Dictionary
• Compounds, dictionary.cambridge.org
• 6. Compounding Rules, govinfo.gov
• How do you decide whether a compound should be written as one word, separate words, or hyphenated words?, merriam-webster.com
• A Comprehensive Guide to Forming Compounds, merriam-webster.com
• English Language > Composition, britannica.com