Definitions for compound
ˈkɒm paʊnd, kɒmˈpaʊnd; ˈkɒm paʊnd; kəmˈpaʊnd, ˈkɒm paʊndcom·pound

Princeton's WordNet(3.86 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. compound(noun)

   a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts

2. compound, chemical compound(noun)

   (chemistry) a substance formed by chemical union of two or more elements or ingredients in definite proportion by weight

3. compound(adj)

   an enclosure of residences and other building (especially in the Orient)

4. compound(adj)

   composed of more than one part

   "compound leaves are composed of several lobes; "compound flower heads"

5. compound(adj)

   consisting of two or more substances or ingredients or elements or parts

   "soap is a compound substance"; "housetop is a compound word"; "a blackberry is a compound fruit"

6. colonial, compound(verb)

   composed of many distinct individuals united to form a whole or colony

   "coral is a colonial organism"

7. intensify, compound, heighten, deepen(verb)

   make more intense, stronger, or more marked

   "The efforts were intensified", "Her rudeness intensified his dislike for her"; "Pot smokers claim it heightens their awareness"; "This event only deepened my convictions"

8. compound, combine(verb)

   put or add together

   "combine resources"

9. compound(verb)

   calculate principal and interest

10. compound(verb)

    create by mixing or combining

11. compound, combine(verb)

    combine so as to form a whole; mix

    "compound the ingredients"

Webster Dictionary(3.17 / 6 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Compound(noun)

   in the East Indies, an inclosure containing a house, outbuildings, etc

2. Compound(verb)

   to form or make by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts; as, to compound a medicine

3. Compound(verb)

   to put together, as elements, ingredients, or parts, in order to form a whole; to combine, mix, or unite

4. Compound(verb)

   to modify or change by combination with some other thing or part; to mingle with something else

5. Compound(verb)

   to compose; to constitute

6. Compound(verb)

   to settle amicably; to adjust by agreement; to compromise; to discharge from obligation upon terms different from those which were stipulated; as, to compound a debt

7. Compound(verb)

   to effect a composition; to come to terms of agreement; to agree; to settle by a compromise; -- usually followed by with before the person participating, and for before the thing compounded or the consideration

8. Compound(verb)

   composed of two or more elements, ingredients, parts; produced by the union of several ingredients, parts, or things; composite; as, a compound word

9. Compound(noun)

   that which is compounded or formed by the union or mixture of elements ingredients, or parts; a combination of simples; a compound word; the result of composition

10. Compound(noun)

    a union of two or more ingredients in definite proportions by weight, so combined as to form a distinct substance; as, water is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen

Origin: [OE. compouned, p. p. of compounen. See Compound, v. t.]

Freebase(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Compound

   In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme that consists of more than one stem. Compounding or composition is the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes. That is, in familiar terms, compounding occurs when two or more words are joined together to make them one word. The meaning of the compound may be very different from the meanings of its components in isolation.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Compound

   kom-pownd′, v.t. to mix or combine: to settle or adjust by agreement.—v.i. to agree, or come to terms: to bargain in the lump.—adj. Com′pound, mixed or composed of a number of parts: not simple, dealing with numbers of various denominations of quantity, &c., as in 'compound addition,' &c.; or with processes more complex than the simple process, as in 'compound proportion,' &c.—n. a mass made up of a number of parts: the usual name in India for the enclosure in which a house stands, with its outhouses, yard, and garden: a compounded drug.—n. Compound′er.—Compound engine, a condensing engine in which the mechanical action of the steam is begun in one cylinder, and ended in a larger cylinder; Compound fracture, a broken bone, communicating with a co-existing skin wound; Compound householder, one who pays his rates in his rent, the landlord being immediately chargeable with them; Compound interest, the charge made where—the interest not being paid when due—it is added to the principal, forming the amount upon which the subsequent year's interest is computed; Compound quantity (alg.), a quantity consisting of more than one term, as a + b; Compound time (mus.), time in which each bar is made up of two or more simple bars. [O. Fr., from L. componĕre—com, together, ponĕre, to place.]

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'compound' in Nouns Frequency: #1829

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of compound in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of compound in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of compound in a Sentence

1. Megan Stackhouse:

   It was a compound fracture.

2. Honore de Balzac:

   All human power is a compound of time and patience.

3. Athol:

   We compound our suffering by victimizing each other.

4. Glenn King:

   A compound that blocks Nav1.7 channels is of particular interest.

5. Jamal Qassem Ali:

   Now it's better because we're in a compound but it's not easy to live here.

Images & Illustrations of compound

Popularity rank by frequency of use