I. (ˈ)käm|pau̇nd, kəmˈp- verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: alteration of Middle English compounen, from Middle French compon-, stem of compondre to put together, arrange, from Latin componere, from com- + ponere to put, place — more at position
transitive verb
1. : to put together (as elements, ingredients, or parts) to form a whole : combine , unite
2.
a. : to form or make up (as a composite product) by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts
compound a medicine
a philosophy compounded of affirmation, action, compassion, and universalism — Norman Cousins
b. obsolete : compose , create
compounded many hymns and psalms — Richard Montagu
3. : to settle amicably : adjust by agreement : discharge (an obligation) upon terms different from those which were stipulated, claimed, or demanded (as when a smaller sum is accepted than was asked) : compromise
4.
a. : to increase by geometric progression or by an increment that itself increases
interest is compounded quarterly
b. : to cause to multiply at a faster and faster rate
c. : to add to : augment
we compounded our error in later policy — Robert Lekachman
express roads and parkways … have compounded … parking problems immensely — Hal Burton
5. : to forbear prosecution of (an offense) for a consideration
compound a felony
6. : to wind the field magnets of (a dynamo) so as to make excitable by both a shunt and a series current
7. : to combine (as forces and velocities) into a single resultant
intransitive verb
1. : to unite into or as if into a compound
his virtues and vices compounded into a contradictory personality no one could understand
2. : to come to terms of agreement or payment : settle by a compromise : agree
compound with the enemy for peace
no attempt to compound with God, to offer future good behavior in exchange for forgiveness — C.S.Forester
II. (ˈ)käm|pau̇nd also kəmˈp- adjective
Etymology: Middle English compouned, from past participle of compounen
1.
a. : composed of or produced by the union of several elements, ingredients, parts, or things
a compound substance
b. : involving combination : composite
compound management
c. logic : consisting of several elements ; specifically : having more than one proposition
d. : having or consisting of two, three, or four groups of simple time units to the musical measure
6/8 and 9/8 are compound rhythms
compound time
e. botany : composed of two or more similar parts forming a common whole
a compound ovary
f. : composed of several joined individuals or elements
2. of an electrical machine : compound-wound
3.
a. of a word
(1) : being a compound (sense 1a) — compare complex
(2) : being a compound (sense 1b)
b. of a sentence : having more than one main clause
I told him to leave and he left is a compound sentence
— compare complex
c. of a tense : formed by the use of an auxiliary verb
is going, are written, has seen, will arrive are compound tenses
— opposed to simple
4. of a fabric : having one or more extra warps or wefts or both
III. ˈkämˌpau̇nd noun
( -s )
1.
a. : a word consisting of components that are words (as rowboat, fireman, high school, devil-may-care, airtight, outrun, thereby, whereas, into ) — compare complex
b. : a word consisting of components that are words, are a word and a combining form (as centimeter ), are a word and a noninflectional affix (as builder, reenter ), are combining forms (as biology ), or are a combining form and a noninflectional affix (as cephalad, chlorate )
c. printing : a hyphened term
2. : something (as a substance, idea, creation) that is formed by a union of elements, ingredients, or parts
a poisonous compound
a compound of Christian mysticism and Greek philosophy
a compound of contradictions
a. : a chemically distinct substance formed by union of two or more ingredients (as elements) in definite proportion by weight and with definite structural arrangement
water is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen
the benzene ring is characteristic of numerous complex organic compounds
— see addition compound , adsorption compound
b. : a plastering base coat to which sand is added later on the job
c. : a compound engine or compound locomotive
d. : a system of gears on roving and spinning frames to keep yarn speed constant as bobbin circumference increases with the winding of added layers
e. : a mental process (as a blend or pattern) in which different components can be distinguished
3. : composition
the peculiar compound of such material
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: by folk etymology (influence of compound ) (III) from Malay kampung, kampong group, gathering, cluster of buildings, village
1.
a. : a well-demarcated complex of European residences and commercial buildings (as warehouses and factories) especially in the East Indies, India, and China
b. : an enclosure within which the laborers at So. African gold or diamond mines are confined
c. : a large fenced or walled-in area (as in a prison, detention camp, or cattle yard)
2. Africa : inferior beef