Collins English-English Dictionary

compound

1. 1. n a substance that contains atoms of two or more chemical elements held together by chemical bonds

2. 2. n any combination of two or more parts, aspects, etc

3. 3. n a word formed from two existing words or combining forms

4. 4. vb [mainly tr] to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product

5. 5. vb to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etc

   to compound a new plastic

6. 6. vb to intensify by an added element

   his anxiety was compounded by her crying

7. 7. vb [finance] to calculate or pay (interest) on both the principal and its accrued interest

8. 8. vb [also intr] to come to an agreement in (a quarrel, dispute, etc)

9. 9. vb [also intr] to settle (a debt, promise, etc) for less than what is owed; compromise

10. 10. vb [law] to agree not to prosecute in return for a consideration

    to compound a crime

11. 11. vb [electrical engineering] to place duplex windings on the field coil of (a motor or generator), one acting as a shunt, the other being in series with the main circuit, thus making the machine self-regulating

12. 12. adj composed of or created by the combination of two or more parts, elements, etc

13. 13. adj (of a word) consisting of elements that are also words or productive combining forms

14. 14. adj (of a sentence) formed by coordination of two or more sentences

15. 15. adj (of a verb or the tense, mood, etc, of a verb) formed by using an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb

    the future in English is a compound tense involving the use of such auxiliary verbs as ``shall'' and ``will''

16. 16. adj [music] denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of three

    six-four is an example of compound time

17. 17. adj (of an interval) greater than an octave

18. 18. adj another word for colonial

19. 19. adj [zoology] (of a steam engine, turbine, etc) having multiple stages in which the steam or working fluid from one stage is used in a subsequent stage

20. 20. adj (of a piston engine) having a turbocharger powered by a turbine in the exhaust stream

21. 21. adj [Etymology] C14: from earlier compounen, from Old French compondre to collect, set in order, from Latin componere

compound ['kɑmpaυnd]

1. 1. n (esp formerly in South Africa) an enclosure, esp on the mines, containing the living quarters for Black workers

2. 2. n any similar enclosure, such as a camp for prisoners of war

3. 3. n (formerly in India, China, etc) the enclosure in which a European's house or factory stood

4. 4. n [Etymology] C17: by folk etymology (influenced by compound¹) from Malay kampong village