- 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).
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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Origin of compound1
historical usage of 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
Definition for compound (2 of 2)
Origin of compound2
historical usage of compound
Example sentences from the Web for compound
That means it will need to get pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy, another source of concern, experts say.
Compounding this issue is that there are few positive images of Muslims or Muslim Americans in American entertainment media.13 Years After 9/11, Anti-Muslim Bigotry Is Worse Than Ever|Dean Obeidallah|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.
Compounding the conundrum further is the fact that many cellphones allow direct access to information in remote cloud storage.Can Government Call the Shots on Cellphone Privacy?|Aziz Huq|April 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Compounding this is the fact that Bab al-Salameh, while significantly safer than most other areas, is still in a war zone.Millions of Refugees from Syria’s War Are Clinging to Life In Toxic Conditions|Christopher Looney|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It is more proper to conceive such feelings as arising gradually, by the compounding of ultimate elements of consciousness.
It is certain that the art of compounding medicines is extraordinarily ancient.Bygone Beliefs|H. Stanley Redgrove
Matter has been shown to be composed of elementary constituents, by the compounding of which all its varieties are produced.Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall
It was compounding a felony, but my client was satisfied and Roger was grateful.'Charge It'|Irving Bacheller
But the residue of the Danes at length, compounding with the 48 thousand pound as saith Sim.Chronicles (1 of 6): The Historie of England (7 of 8)|Raphael Holinshed
British Dictionary definitions for compound (1 of 2)
verb (kəmˈpaʊnd) (mainly tr)
- denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of threesix-four is an example of compound time
- (of an interval) greater than an octave