What is a compound word dictionary - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

Every word has its own meaning. You can search for the definition of every term in the dictionary. But do you know that you can put two words together and have a brand new meaning? Of course, not all words can be put together for such a case. However, many ones are already accepted in the English language. These words are called compound words.

What Are Compound Words?

Compound words are formed when two or more words are combined to produce a new one. This newly-constructed word has its own meaning that can either be related to the base words or not.

Types of Compound Words

Open Compound Words

Open compound words remain separate when written but are used together to create a new idea. For example, “peanut” and “butter” are unrelated to each other. But when you combine them and use them as one word, you will have “peanut butter,” which is already a different noun with its own meaning.

Closed Compound Words

Closed compound words are formed by combining two fully independent words together without space in between. An example of a closed-form compound word is “grandfather,” in which “grand” and “father” are put together.

Hyphenated Compound Words

Another possible form of a compound word is the hyphenated one. From the word itself, the independent terms used are separated by a hyphen or dash. A common example is “mother-in-law.”

Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are simply compound words that act as nouns. Nouns are names of people, animals, places, things, or events. However, it does not mean that the two words comprising it should only be nouns. A compound noun can be formed by combining two nouns, an adjective and a noun, a verb and a noun, and many more.

Compound Verbs

A compound verb is also called a complex predicate. It is a multi-word compound that acts as a single verb. It can be constructed by putting together a verb and a preposition or a verb and an adverb (phrasal verbs). Auxiliary verbs that are followed by the main verb can also be considered compounds. Some other combinations that involve a verb and a non-verb word can also be considered compound verbs if they indicate action.

Compound Adjectives

Two or more words that function as one and describe a noun are called compound adjectives. Usually, they are separated by a hyphen.

List of Compound Words

Open Compound Words

Ice cream
Ice cream cake
Ice cube
Cream cheese
Hot dog
Corn dog
Corned beef
Apple pie
Sugar plum
Web page
Table cloth
Fire drill
Fire drill
Fire exit
High school
Roller coaster
Living room
First aid
Full moon
Tea cup
Serving spoon
Real estate
Car pool
Cotton bud
Cotton ball
Video game
Coffee grain
Coffee mug
Post office
Upper deck
Hand towel
Sweet tooth
Common sense
Dance hall
Police officer
Vice president
Science fiction
Root word
Candy cane
Christmas tree
Cell membrane
Jumping jack
Report card
Credit card
Debit card
Radio wave
Snack house
Coffee shop
Bus stop
Swimming pool
Rubber band
Ice hockey
Ice skate
Break up
Take away
Take out
Break away
Lift up
Push down
Pull down
Ask out
Ask around
Make up
Turn in
Fill up
Fill out
Fill in

Closed Compound Words

Basketball
Football
Baseball
Worldwide
Overpass
Southeast
Northeast
Northwest
Southwest
Bushfire
Mailbox
Snowball
Skateboard
Sailboat
Birthday
Blackboard
Everything
Anything
Anyone
Everyone
Classmate
Schoolmate
Playmate
Grandmother
Grandfather
Granddaughter
Grandson
Grasshopper
Sunflower
Sunrise
Sunshine
Moonlight
Freelance
Eyeball
Eyebrow
Eyelash
Armpit
Playground
Teamwork
Stoplight
Flashlight
Lighthouse
Fireman
Rainbow
Raindrop
Bedroom
Popcorn
Keyboard
Notepad
Keyhole
Keystone
Pothole
Bowtie
Necktie
Brainwash
Proofread
Babysit
Horseshoe
Highlight
Notebook
Bookstore
Lipstick
Makeup
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Airbrush
Crosswalk
Crossroad
Crossover
Nightfall
Riverbank
Nutcracker
Candlelight
Backstroke
Hamburger
Cheeseburger
Sandwich
Homesick
Uptown
Rattlesnake
Workplace
Wrongdoing
Springtime
Underdog
Strawberry
Blueberry
Watermelon
Pineapple
Cupcake

Hyphenated Compound Words

Mother-in-law
Father-in-law
Sister-in-law
Brother-in-law
Sergeant-at-arms
Merry-go-round
Happy-go-lucky
Editor-in-chief
Over-the-counter
Up-to-date
State-of-the-art
Long-term
High-speed
Left-handed
Right-handed
In-depth
Full-length
Part-time
Long-haired
Sun-dried
Breath-taking
Self-centered
Well-off
Well-known
Gift-wrap
Follow-up
Well-being
Single-minded
Knee-length
Short-tempered
Off-site
Runner-up
One-sided
Tip-off
Blush-on
Sugar-free
Ice-cold
Far-flung
High-rise
Life-size
King-size
Warm-blooded
Cold-blooded
Get-together
Next-door

A Huge List of Compound Words

Following is a list of 1000 close compound words in English

Aboveboard
Afterbirth
Afterburner
Afterglow
Afterimage
Afterlife
Aftermath
Afternoon
Airbrush
Aircraft
Airfield
Airlift
Airline
Airliner
Airmail
Airman
Airmen
Airplane
Airport
Airship
Airtime
Allover
Allspice
Alongside
Also
Another
Anybody
Anyhow
Anymore
Anyone
Anyplace
Anything
Anytime
Anyway
Anywhere
Armchair
Armpit
Around
Arrowhead
Ashtray
Authorship
Babysit
Babysitter
Backache
Backbite
Backbone
Backbreaker
Backdrop
Backfield
Backfire
Background
Backhand
Backlash
Backlog
Backpack
Backside
Backslap
Backslide
Backspace
Backspin
Backstage
Backstop
Backstretch
Backstroke
Backtrack
Backward
Ballpark
Ballroom
Bankbook
Bankroll
Baseball
Basketball
Beachcomb
Became
Because
Become
Bedbug
Bedclothes
Bedrock
Bedroll
Bedroom
Bellbottom
Bellboy
Bellhop
Below
Birthday
Blackball
Blackberries
Blackbird
Blackboard
Blackjack
Blacklist
Blackmail
Blackout
Blacksmith
Blacktop
Bluebell
Blueberry
Bluebird
Bluefish
Bluegrass
Blueprint
Boardwalk
Bodyguard
Bodywork
Boldface
Bookbinder
Bookcase
Bookend
Bookkeeper
Booklet
Bookmark
Bookmobile
Bookseller
Bookshelf
Bookstore
Bookworm
Bootstrap
Bowtie
Brainchild
Brainstorm
Brainwash
Bugspray
Bushfire
Buttercup
Butterfat
Butterfingers
Butterflies
Buttermilk
Butternut
Butterscotch
Bypass
Cabdriver
Cancan
Candid
Candlelight
Candlestick
Cannot
Cardboard
Cardsharp
Cardstock
Carefree
Caretaker
Careworn
Carfare
Cargo
Carhop
Carload
Carpetbagger
Carpool
Carport
Carrack
Carryall
Carsick
Cartwheel
Carwash
Cattail
Catwalk
Caveman
Centercut
Cheeseburger
Cheesecake
Classmate
Clockwise
Coffeemaker
Comeback
Comedown
Commonplace
Commonwealth
Cornball
Cornmeal
Cornstalk
Cornwall
Cottonmouth
Cottontail
Cottonwood
Countdown
Counterattack
Counterbalance
Counterclockwise
Counterintelligence
Countermeasure
Counteroffensive
Counterpane
Counterpart
Counterpoint
Counterpoise
Courthouse
Courtroom
Courtyard
Crewcut
Crossbow
Crossbreed
Crosscut
Crossover
Crossroad
Crosstown
Crosswalk
Crossword
Cupcake
Dairymaid
Daisywheel
Daybed
Daybook
Daybreak
Daydream
Daylight
Daytime
Deadend
Deadline
Dishcloth
Dishpan
Dishwasher
Dishwater
Diskdrive
Dogwood
Doorstop
Downbeat
Downunder
Drawbridge
Driveway
Duckbill
Duckpin
Earache
Eardrop
Eardrum
Earring
Earthbound
Earthquake
Earthward
Earthworm
Egghead
Eggshell
Elsewhere
Everyone
Everything
Eyeball
Eyeballs
Eyebrow
Eyecatching
Eye-catching
Eyeglasses
Eyelash
Eyelid
Eyesight
Eyewitness
Fatherland
Fatherless
Firearm
Fireball
Fireboat
Firebomb
Firebox
Firebreak
Firecracker
Firefighter
Fireflies
Firehouse
Fireman
Fireproof
Firewater
Fireworks
Fishbowl
Fisherman
Fisheye
Fishhook
Fishlike
Fishmonger
Fishnet
Fishpond
Fishtail
Flashlight
Football
Foothill
Foothold
Footlights
Footlocker
Footnote
Footpath
Footprints
Footrest
Forbearer
Forbid
Forearm
Forebear
Forecast
Forecastle
Foreclose
Foreclosure
Foredoom
Forefather
Forefinger
Forefront
Forehand
Forehead
Foreleg
Foreman
Foremost
Forepaws
Forerunner
Foresee
Foresight
Forestall
Forestland
Forever
Forget
Forgive
Forklift
Format
Fortnight
Freelance
Friendship
Fruitcup
Gearshift
Glassmaking
Goodbye
Goodnight
Grandaunt
Grandchild
Grandchildren
Granddaughter
Grandfather
Grandmaster
Grandmother
Grandnephew
Grandnieces
Grandparent
Grandson
Grandstand
Granduncle
Grasshopper
Graveyard
Gumball
Haircut
Hamburger
Hammerhead
Hamstring
Handball
Handbook
Handcuff
Handgun
Handmade
Handout
Headache
Headdress
Headhunter
Headlight
Headline
Headquarters
Hedgehop
Heirloom
Hellcat
Hellhole
Helpmate
Helpmeet
Hemstitch
Henceforth
Henchman
Henpeck
Hereabout
Hereafter
Hereby
Herein
Hereof
Hereupon
Herself
Highball
Highchair
Highland
Highlight
Highway
Himself
Homemade
Homesick
Hometown
Honeybee
Honeycomb
Honeydew
Honeymoon
Honeysuckle
Hookup
Hookworm
Horseback
Horsefly
Horsehair
Horseplay
Horsepower
Horseradish
Horseshoe
Houseboat
Housecoat
Household
Housekeeper
Housetop
Housewife
Housework
However
Ideal
Inchworm
Income
Indoors
Inflow
Infold
Infuse
Infusion
Inhale
Inkblot
Inkwell
Inland
Inmate
Inpatient
Inroad
Inset
Inside
Intake
Ironwork
Itself
Jackpot
Jackson
Jailbait
Jailbird
Jawbone
Jawbreaker
Jaywalk
Jellybean
Jellyfish
Jerkwater
Jerrybuild
Jetliner
Jetport
Jigsaw
Jimsonweed
Jitterbug
Jobholder
Johnnycake
Jumpshot
Keepsake
Keyboard
Keyhole
Keynote
Keypad
Keypunch
Keystone
Keystroke
Keyway
Keyword
Landmark
Landslide
Landward
Lapland
Lapwing
Larkspur
Laughingstock
Lawgiver
Lawmaker
Lawsuit
Layman
Layoff
Layout
Layover
Leapfrog
Lifeblood
Lifeboat
Lifeguard
Lifelike
Lifeline
Lifelong
Lifesaver
Lifetime
Lifework
Lighthouse
Limelight
Limestone
Lipstick
Longhand
Longhorn
Longhouse
Lukewarm
Mailbox
Mainland
Mainline
Mainspring
Mainstream
Makeup
Matchbox
Meadowland
Meantime
Meanwhile
Moonbeam
Moonlight
Moonlit
Moonscape
Moonshine
Moonstone
Moonstruck
Moonwalk
Moreover
Mothball
Motherhood
Motorcycle
Nearby
Necktie
Nevermore
Newborn
Newfound
Newsboy
Newsbreak
Newscast
Newscaster
Newsdealer
Newsletter
Newsman
Newsmen
Newspaper
Newsperson
Newsprint
Newsreel
Newsroom
Newsstand
Newsworthy
Nightfall
Nobody
Noisemaker
Northeast
Northwest
Notebook
Notepad
Noteworthy
Nowhere
Nursemaid
Nutcracker
Oneself
Onetime
Overabundance
Overboard
Overcoat
Overflow
Overland
Overpass
Overshoes
Pacemaker
Pancake
Parkway
Passbook
Passkey
Passover
Passport
Password
Pasteboard
Patchwork
Pathfinder
Pathway
Pawnbroker
Pawnshop
Paycheck
Payload
Paymaster
Payoff
Payroll
Peppermint
Pickup
Pineapple
Pinhole
Pinpoint
Pinstripe
Pinup
Pinwheel
Playback
Playboy
Playground
Playhouse
Playmate
Playthings
Ponytail
Popcorn
Postcard
Pothole
Proofread
Racquetball
Railroad
Railway
Rainbow
Raincheck
Raincoat
Raindrop
Rainfall
Rainmaker
Rainstorm
Rainwater
Ratline
Ratsbane
Rattlesnake
Rattletrap
Rawboned
Rawhide
Readywitted
Rearmost
Rearrange
Rearward
Redcap
Redcoat
Reddish
Redhead
Repairman
Riverbank
Riverbanks
Rubberband
Sailboat
Salesclerk
Sandbox
Sandlot
Sandstone
Sandwich
Saucepan
Scapegoat
Scarecrow
Schoolbook
Schoolboy
Schoolbus
Schoolhouse
Schoolmate
Schoolroom
Schoolwork
Seashore
Setback
Setoff
Shadyside
Sharecropper
Sharpshooter
Sheepskin
Shipbottom
Shipbuilder
Shipload
Shipwreck
Shipyard
Shoelace
Shoemaker
Shopkeeper
Shortbread
Shortcake
Shotgun
Showboat
Showoff
Showplace
Showroom
Sideburns
Sidecar
Sidekick
Sideshow
Sidewalk
Silversmith
Sisterhood
Sixfold
Skateboard
Skintight
Skylark
Skylight
Skyscraper
Slapstick
Slowdown
Slumlord
Snakeskin
Snowball
Snowbank
Snowbird
Snowdrift
Snowshoe
Snowshovel
Snowstorm
Soapstone
Softball
Software
Somebody
Someday
Somehow
Someone
Someplace
Something
Sometime
Sometimes
Someway
Somewhat
Somewhere
Soundproof
Southeast
Southwest
Soybean
Spacesuit
Spacewalk
Spearmint
Speedboat
Spillway
Spokesperson
Springtime
Stagehand
Standby
Standoff
Standout
Standpipe
Standpoint
Standstill
Starfish
Steamboat
Steamship
Stepson
Stickup
Stockroom
Stonewall
Stoplight
Stopwatch
Storerooms
Strawberry
Streetcar
Stronghold
Subway
Sunbaked
Sunbathe
Sunday
Sundial
Sundown
Sunfish
Sunflower
Sunglasses
Sunlit
Sunray
Sunrise
Sunroof
Sunshine
Suntan
Sunup
Supercargo
Supercharge
Supercool
Superego
Superfine
Supergiant
Superhero
Superhighways
Superhuman
Superimpose
Superman
Supermarket
Supermen
Supernatural
Superpower
Superscript
Supersensitive
Supersonic
Superstar
Superstrong
Superstructure
Supertanker
Superweapon
Superwoman
Sweetheart
Sweetmeat
Tablecloth
Tablespoon
Tabletop
Tableware
Tadpole
Tagalong
Tailbone
Tailcoat
Tailgate
Taillight
Taillike
Tailpiece
Tailspin
Takeoff
Takeout
Takeover
Talebearer
Taleteller
Tapeworm
Taproom
Taproot
Target
Taskmaster
Tattletale
Taxicab
Taxpayer
Teacup
Teammate
Teamwork
Teapot
Teardrop
Teaspoon
Teenager
Telltale
Tenderfoot
Tenderhearted
Tenderloin
Tenfold
Textbook
Themselves
Therefore
Throwaway
Throwback
Thunderbird
Thunderbolt
Thundershower
Thunderstorm
Timekeeper
Timepieces
Timesaving
Timeshare
Timetable
Today
Together
Toolbox
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Toothpick
Touchdown
Township
Turnabout
Turnaround
Turnbuckle
Turncoat
Turndown
Turnkey
Turnoff
Turnover
Turntable
Typewriter
Underachieve
Underact
Underage
Underarm
Underbelly
Underbid
Undercharge
Underclothes
Undercover
Undercurrent
Undercut
Underdevelop
Underdog
Underesimate
Underestimate
Underexpose
Underfeed
Underfinance
Underfoot
Underfur
Undergarment
Undergird
Undergo
Undergraduate
Underground
Undergrowth
Underhand
Underhanded
Underlayer
Underlie
Upbeat
Upbringing
Upcoming
Update
Updraft
Upend
Upgrade
Upheaval
Upheld
Uphill
Uphold
Upkeep
Upland
Uplift
Uplink
Upload
Upmarket
Upon
Uppercase
Upperclassman
Uppercut
Uppermost
Upright
Uprising
Upriver
Uproar
Uproot
Upset
Upshot
Upside
Upstage
Upstairs
Upstanding
Upstart
Upstate
Upstream
Upsurge
Upswing
Uptake
Upthrust
Uptight
Uptime
Uptown
Upturn
Upward
Upwind
Waistband
Waistcoat
Waistline
Walkout
Walkways
Wallboard
Walleyed
Wallflower
Wallpaper
Wanderlust
Wardroom
Warehouse
Warfare
Warhead
Warlike
Warlord
Warmblooded
Warmhearted
Warmonger
Warpath
Warplanes
Warship
Wartime
Washboard
Washbowl
Washcloth
Washout
Washroom
Washstand
Washtub
Wastebasket
Wasteland
Wastepaper
Wastewater
Watchband
Watchcase
Watchdog
Watchmaker
Watchman
Watchtower
Watchword
Watercolor
Watercooler
Watercraft
Waterfall
Waterfowl
Waterfront
Waterline
Waterlog
Watermark
Watermelon
Waterpower
Waterproof
Waterscape
Watershead
Waterside
Waterspout
Watertight
Waterway
Waterwheel
Waterworks
Wavelength
Wavelike
Waxwork
Waybill
Wayfarer
Waylaid
Wayside
Wayward
Weathercock
Weatherman
Weatherproof
Weekday
Weekend
Weeknight
Whatever
Whatsoever
Wheelbarrow
Wheelbase
Wheelchair
Wheelhouse
Whitecap
Whitefish
Whitewall
Whitewash
Widespread
Wipeout
Without
Woodshop
Workplace
Worldwide
Wrongdoing

Compound Words | Images

Источник

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

compound +‎ word

Noun[edit]

Examples (linguistics)
pancake two-tone school bus

compound word (plural compound words)

(linguistics) A word composed of two or more stems. In English, it may or may not have a space or hyphen.

Synonym: compound

Hyponyms: closed compound, open compound, solid compound
- 1700, A. Lane, A Key to the Art of Letters[1]
  
  A Compound Word, is that which is Compounded of two or more Words; as a Book-Seller, Compounded of Book and Seller; a Watch-man, of Watch and Man.
- 1858, Charles Peter Mason, English grammar[2]:
  
  A word is a compound word when it is made up of two or more parts, each of which is a significant word by itself; as, apple-tree, tea-spoon, spend-thrift.
- 1911, “Bow”, in Encyclopædia Britannica:
  
  Thus it is found in English compound words, e.g. “elbow,” “rainbow,” “bow-net,” “bow-window,” “bow-knot,” “saddle-bow,” and by itself as the designation of a great variety of objects.
- 1994, James R. Hurford, Grammar: A Student’s Guide[3]:
  
  Compound words contrast with words built up by the use of affixes. Thus, for example, re-use, substandard, hyperventilate, prehistoric and pro-communist woud not usually be counted as compound words …
- 2014, Kelly Hackett, Compound Words—Banana Splits Literacy Center:
  
  Some important vocabulary words your child needs to study are compound words. A compound word is made when two words are joined together to form a new word. For example, the word rainbow is made using the words rain and bow.
- 2018, Dale D. Johnson, Words: The Foundation of Literacy[4]:
  
  As stated above, compound words are formed by joining two words into one word. Some compound words retain elements of the meanings of the two words. Examples include sunlight, flagpole, flying fish, and bridge-builder.
A word composed of two or more stems or a prefixed word.
- 1784, Noah Webster, A Grammatical Institute of the English language[5][6]
  
  A compound word is formed of two or more simple words; as, country-man, gold-smith, ink-horn; or of a simple word and a preposition; as, over-come, with-draw, dis-engage.

Usage notes[edit]

Compounds are hard to define exactly, especially since it is difficult to distinguish compounds from phrases.^[1]^[2]

Translations[edit]

word composed of others

Armenian: բարդ բառ (hy) (bard baṙ)
Azerbaijani: please add this translation if you can
Belarusian: скла́данае сло́ва n (skládanaje slóva)
Breton: ger kevrennek m, liesger m
Bulgarian: сло́жна ду́ма f (slóžna dúma)
Chinese:

Mandarin: 複合詞／复合词 (zh) (fùhécí), 合成詞／合成词 (zh) (héchéngcí)
Czech: složenina (cs) f
Danish: sammensat ord n
Dutch: samenstelling (nl) f
Esperanto: kunmetaĵo
Estonian: liitsõna (et)
Finnish: yhdyssana (fi)
French: mot composé (fr) m
Georgian: please add this translation if you can
German: Zusammensetzung (de) f, Kompositum (de) n, Bandwurmwort (de) n (colloquial)
Greek: σύνθετη λέξη f (sýntheti léxi)
Hindi: please add this translation if you can
Hungarian: összetétel (hu), összetett szó, szóösszetétel (hu)
Icelandic: samsetning (is) f
Indonesian: kata majemuk (id)
Irish: comhfhocal m

Old Irish: comṡuidigthe m
Italian: parola composta (it) f
Japanese: 複合語 (ja) (ふくごうご, fukugōgo), 合成語 (ja) (ごうせいご, gōseigo)
Kannada: please add this translation if you can
Khmer: ទ្វយវាទ (km) (tvea’yea’viet)
Korean: 합성어(合成語) (ko) (hapseong’eo), 복합어(複合語) (ko) (bokhabeo)
Lithuanian: žodžių junginys (lt) m
Malay: kata majmuk (ms)
Malayalam: സമസ്തപദം (ml) (samastapadaṃ)
Manx: co-ockle m
Maori: kupu pūhui
Norwegian:

Bokmål: sammensetning (no) m or f, sammensatt ord n, kompositum n

Nynorsk: samansetjing f, samansetning f, samansetting f, samansett ord n, kompositum n
Persian: همساخته‎ (hamsâxta)
Polish: złożenie (pl)
Portuguese: palavra composta f
Romanian: cuvânt compus (ro) n
Russian: сло́жное сло́во n (slóžnoje slóvo)
Sanskrit: समास (sa) m (samāsa)
Scottish Gaelic: facal fillte m
Serbo-Croatian: složenica (sh)
Slovene: sestavljenka f
Spanish: palabra compuesta (es) f
Swedish: kompositum (sv) c, sammansättning (sv) c, sammansatt ord n
Tamil: please add this translation if you can
Telugu: సమాసము (te) (samāsamu)
Thai: คำสมาส (th) (kam sàmàat), คำประสม (th) (kam bpràsŏm), คำผสม (th) (kam pàsŏm)
Tibetan: please add this translation if you can
Turkish: birleşik sözcük (tr), birleşik kelime (tr)
Ukrainian: складне́ сло́во (uk) n (skladné slóvo)
Uyghur: بىرىككەن سۆز‎ (birikken söz)
Vietnamese: từ ghép (vi)
Volapük: koboyümavöd (vo)
Walloon: mot d’ aplacaedje (wa)
Welsh: cyfansoddair m, gair cyfansawdd m

References[edit]

^ Compounds and multi-word expressions in the languages of Europe by Rita Finkbeiner and Barbara Schlücker, 2019
^ Compounds or Phrases? — A Look at The Structure of Atypical Noun-Noun Combinations. by Elna Arvidsson, 2020

Types of Compounds

Compounding exists in several different forms and parts of speech, including the following:

Compound Adjective
Compound Adverb
Compound Noun
Compound Tense
Compound Verb
Exocentric Compound
Rhyming Compound
Root Compound and Synthetic Compound
Suspended Compound

Examples and Observations

«Compounds are not limited to two words, as shown by examples such as bathroom towel-rack and community center finance committee. Indeed, the process of compounding seems unlimited in English: starting with a word like sailboat, we can easily construct the compound sailboat rigging, from which we can, in turn, create sailboat rigging design, sailboat rigging design training, sailboat rigging design training institute, and so on.»
(Adrian Akmajian et al., «Linguistics: An Introduction to Language and Communication». MIT Press, 2001)
«Trammell was, Hollenbeck said, ‘just a loud-mouthed backslapping small-town handshaker who’s got a job much too big for him.’”
(Loren Ghiglione, «CBS’s Don Hollenbeck». Columbia University Press, 2008)
Buffy: No actual witches in your witch group?
Willow: No. Bunch of wannablessedbes. You know, nowadays every girl with a henna tattoo and a spice rack thinks she’s a sister to the dark ones.»
(Sarah Michelle Gellar and Alyson Hannigan in «Hush.» «Buffy the Vampire Slayer», 1999)

Stress Test

«Typically a compound begins as a kind of cliché, two words that are frequently found together, as are air cargo or light colored. If the association persists, the two words often turn into a compound, sometimes with a meaning that is simply the sum of the parts (light switch), sometimes with some sort of figurative new sense (moonshine). The semantic relationships of the parts can be of all kinds: a window cleaner cleans windows, but a vacuum cleaner does not clean vacuums. We can be sure we have a compound when the primary stress moves forward; normally a modifier will be less heavily stressed than the word it modifies, but in compounds, the first element is always more heavily stressed.» (Kenneth G. Wilson, «The Columbia Guide to Standard American English». Columbia University Press, 1993)

Distinguishing Features of Compounds

«[In most compounds] the rightmost morpheme determines the category of the entire word. Thus, greenhouse is a noun because its rightmost component is a noun, spoonfeed is a verb because feed also belongs to this category, and nationwide is an adjective just as wide is…

«English orthography is not consistent in representing compounds, which are sometimes written as single words, sometimes with an intervening hyphen, and sometimes as separate words. In terms of pronunciation, however, there is an important generalization to be made. In particular, adjective-noun compounds are characterized by a more prominent stress on their first component…

«A second distinguishing feature of compounds in English is that tense and plural markers cannot typically be attached to the first element, although they can be added to the compound as a whole. (There are some exceptions, however, such as passers-by and parks supervisor.)» (William O’Grady, J. Archibald, M. Aronoff, and J. Rees-Miller, «Contemporary Linguistics: An Introduction». Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001)

Plurals of Compounds

«Compounds generally follow the regular rule by adding the regular -s inflection to their last element. . . .

«The following two compounds are exceptional in taking the inflection on the first element:

passer-by/passers-by
listener-in/listeners-in

«A few compounds ending in -ful usually take the plural inflection on the last element, but have a less common plural with the inflection on the first element:

mouthful/mouthfuls or mouthsful
spoonful/spoonfuls or spoonsful

«Compounds ending in -in-law allow the plural either on the first element or (informally) on the last element:

sister-in-law/sisters-in-law or sister-in-laws»

(Sidney Greenbaum, «Oxford English Grammar». Oxford University Press, 1996)

Compounds in the Dictionary

«Evidently, the definition of what counts as a single dictionary entry is fluid and allows for very wide margins; any attempt at further precision is impossible because of the unlimited potential for compounding and derivation. The OED [Oxford English Dictionary] policy on compounds and derivatives is indicative of how blurred the line between a ‘headword’ and a compound or a derivative can be:

Compounds are frequently collected together in a section or group of sections at or near the end of an entry. They are followed by a quotation paragraph in which examples of each compound are presented in alphabetical order of the compound. Some major compounds are entered as headwords in their own right. . . .

Clearly, the size of the dictionary records exceeds by far the vocabulary of an individual speaker.» (Donka Minkova and Robert Stockwell, «English Words.» «The Handbook of English Linguistics», ed. by Bas Aarts and April McMahon. Blackwell, 2006)

Compounding in Shakespeare’s King Lear

«Shakespeare seized upon the inherent creative energies of English compounding and transformed them into art. Examples abound throughout his oeuvre, but «King Lear» shines an especially bright spotlight on his combinatorial craft. . . .

«First, we behold Lear’s ‘compounding’ rage. He agonizes over one daughter’s ‘sharp-toothed unkindness’ and wills the ‘fen-sucked fogs’ to foul her. After another daughter also repudiates him, Lear offers his submission to ‘hot-blooded France’ and invokes the ‘Thunder-bearer,’ ‘high-judging Jove.’ . . .

«Next, we learn of nature’s ‘compounding’ wildness. A gentleman reports that a raving Lear is out roving a desolate, storm-struck heath, where he strives ‘in his little world of man to out-scorn/The to-and-fro-conflicting wind and rain’ from which even the ‘cub-drawn bear’ and ‘belly-pinched wolf’ seek shelter. Lear is only accompanied by his loyal fool, ‘who labors to out-jest/ His heart-struck injuries.’ . . .

«Amid the forceful modifiers of ‘oak-cleaving’ and ‘all-shaking’ are the ‘thought-executing’ ‘vaunt-couriers’: lightning bolts.» (John Kelly, «Forget His Coinages, Shakespeare’s Real Genius Lies in His Noggin-Busting Compounds.» Slate, May 16, 2016)

The Lighter Side of Compounding

«My dad didn’t read things like Playboy or National Enquirer. He was a science nerd with a crew cut, plastic pocket protectors, and a bow tie, and the only magazines at our house were Scientific American and National Geographic. I felt more connected to Karen’s loud, messy, National Enquirer—reading, Twinkie-eating, Coca-Cola-drinking, station wagon-driving, bust-enhancing household than to my polite, organized, National Geographic–reading, bean sprout, and tofu-serving, mind-improving, VW bus-driving household.» (Wendy Merrill, «Falling Into Manholes: The Memoir of a Bad/Good Girl». Penguin, 2008)
«Hey! If any of you are looking for any last-minute gift ideas for me, I have one. I’d like Frank Shirley, my boss, right here tonight. I want him brought from his happy holiday slumber over there on Melody Lane with all the other rich people, and I want him brought right here, with a big ribbon on his head, and I want to look him straight in the eye, and I want to tell him what a cheap, lying, no-good, rotten, four-flushing, low-life, snake-licking, dirt-eating, inbred, overstuffed, ignorant, blood-sucking, dog-kissing, brainless, . . . hopeless, heartless, fat-ass, bug-eyed, stiff-legged, spotty-lipped, worm-headed sack of monkey…he is! Hallelujah!… Where’s the Tylenol?» (Chevy Chase as Clark Griswold in «National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation», 1989)

Источник

The word compound means one thing that is composed of two or more elements. When you hear the word compound, you might think of a chemical compound, compound interest, or you might just use the word as a synonym for a mixture. Compounding is also a grammatical phenomenon, and there is a lengthy list of compound words in the English language.

Compound Words Definition

Simply put, compound means one thing made of many things. The definition for compound words means just that.

Compound words: two or more words joined to create a new meaning.

Compound words are not two random words thrust together. Compound words will be two words that are frequently found together, such as late-night, nice-looking, or seafood.

Compound words are usually two base words used together. Remember, base words are standalone words that signal a particular meaning, even when stripped of affixes (example: success in successful).

That’s not to say, however, that compound words can’t use derived words. Derived words are words that are built on a root, typically with the addition of an affix (example: teach + er = teacher). Many compound words include derived words (coffee maker, sewing machine, skyscraper).

The process of compounding is different from derivation and inflection — both of which typically involve adding an affix to change a word’s grammatical category. While derivation, inflection, and compounding are all a process for creating new words, compounding uses two base words, rather than a single base word and an affix (e.g., -ing, im—, or -ed).

Compounding in English Examples

Compounds help us understand words as a single unit, which in some cases helps to clarify the meaning of a word or phrase in English.

Let’s look for a vegan-friendly restaurant.

Fig. 1 — A «vegan-friendly» restaurant is different from a «vegan, friendly» restaurant.

Using a hyphen here shows the reader that the words vegan and friendly should be taken as a single unit. Otherwise, it might be read as, “Let’s look for a vegan friendly restaurant,” with vegan and friendly being two different adjectives to describe a restaurant.

When new things, ideas, or phrases come into the collective consciousness of the public, they need a name or something people can say to refer to them. Compounding words is one of the most (if not the most) common types of word formation in English because it is so easy to do.

These new words can be figurative like chairman (the head of a committee or group, not a chair-shaped man), or simply a combination of the meaning of each of the base words, like lighthouse (a house of light).

Just email me, and I’ll respond to it later.

The word email wasn’t used until the late twentieth century because email, or electronic mail, didn’t exist until then. There was a need to create a word to communicate this new idea of sending a message electronically, and e-mail —which became email, without the hyphen — was a simple option.

Types of Compound Words

There are three types of compound words: open, closed, and hyphenated.

Open Compounds

Open compound words are formed by combining an adjective with the noun it modifies to create a new noun. These compound words are usually the result of two words being so frequently used together that they eventually come to mean one specific thing.

Shopping cart

Potting soil

Real estate

Even though these words are separated with a space, they’re still considered a single unit. You can tell it’s an open compound word, rather than merely a noun modified by an adjective, because the two words are so regularly used together to mean something specific.

For example, real is not used as the modification of the word estate to express it’s real as opposed to a fake estate. Real estate is the business of buying and selling property and buildings on said property.

Closed Compounds

Closed compound words look the most like a “real word” because there is no space between the two roots.

Keyboard

Pothole

Tablecloth

Two words might form a closed compound because they are so frequently used together.

Fig. 2 — Email is a newer word that came from two base words: electronic and mail.

In the 1990s when someone wanted to connect to the internet, they might say they were going to go on-line (cue the sounds of dial-up internet and a male voice saying, “You’ve got mail”). Today in the twenty-first century, the internet is a part of our everyday experience, and so the word has lost its hyphen and is typically shortened to online.

Hyphenated Compounds

The final type of compound words are hyphenated compounds. These are words that — just like closed and open compounds — are frequently used together. The hyphen connects these words, so they function as one unit.

A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that shouldn’t be confused with a dash (–). A hyphen connects two words or word parts, whereas dashes indicate a pause or range. Dashes can be short (an “en dash” which is the length of the letter n) or long (an “em dash” which is the length of the letter m).

Long-term

Close-up

Empty-handed

Many hyphenated compounds become closed compounds if they’re used frequently enough.

Hyphenating Compound Words

You might wonder, “How do I know when to hyphenate a compound word?” There are many rules regarding hyphens in general, and here are the ones that are key in hyphenating compound words.

Only hyphenate when the compound comes before the noun it will modify. If it comes after, don’t include a hyphen.

The man-eating bear was only a few yards away. vs. The bear was definitely a man eater.

When a compound modifier contains an adverb ending in -ly and a participle or adjective, don’t use a hyphen.

A highly contested race.

Unfortunately, there is not always a consensus about whether to hyphenate compound words or create a closed compound word. If you’re ever in doubt about whether to hyphenate a compound word, consult a dictionary or the appropriate style guide for a definitive answer.

Compound Words List

Here is a longer compound words list for reference.

Open Compound Words

Sun room
Cheer up
Summer break
Garage sale
Dress up
Fire pit
Jumping jack
Science fiction
Vice President
Swimming pool

Closed Compound Words

Dishware
Bookstore
Seatbelt
Birthday
Carpool
Limelight
Comeback
Candlelit
Football
Lawsuit

Hyphenated Compound Words

House-of-mirrors
Self-contempt
Father-in-law
Well-read
Full-length
Free-fall
High-rise
Life-size
Deep-fried
Right-handed

Compounding — Key takeaways

Compound words are two or more words joined to create a new meaning.
Compound words are usually two base words used together.
Compounds help us understand words as a single unit, which in some cases helps to clarify the meaning of a word or phrase.
There are three types of compound words: open, closed, and hyphenated.
There is not always a consensus about whether to hyphenate compound words or create a closed compound word.

Источник

We’re back to the mailbag this week with two great user questions:

What makes a compound word worthy of dictionary entry?

Is there one correct way to spell ‘yay’?

Download the episode here.

Transcript

Emily Brewster:
Coming up on Word Matters: some questions from you. I’m Emily Brewster and Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media. On each episode, Merriam-Webster editors, Ammon Shea, Peter Sokolowski, and I explore some aspect of the English language from the dictionary’s vantage point. We all know what a word looks like. It’s a group of letters, typically, including a vowel or two, and maybe, on occasion, a hyphen. Introduce a space into the mix, and you have not one word but two, right? And yet dictionaries, which are supposed to define individual words, define things like bread machine, which is two words. What is up with that? Let us explain.

Ammon Shea:
Roy has written in with question about vernacular from science fiction, specifically, time machine, and Roy writes, «This, of course, is not a word per se, but a two-word phrase that is commonly understood to mean a specific thing.» He writes, «Time machine is, in fact, a single dictionary entry despite being constructed from two clearly understood words whose meanings do not change as part of the phrase. Which then got me thinking, what qualifies time machine, or as it happens, pen machine for a single entry but leaves bread machine ineligible?» Excellent question.

Peter Sokolowski:
It’s a great question.

Ammon Shea:
Although I have to say I do not agree that these are two clearly understood words whose meaning do not change as part of the process. I think because we are familiar with the concept of time machine and we now have an association with it, that we have assigned a specific meaning to it and we are thinking of that as commonly understood. However, if there had been no time machines up to this point and we had just suddenly started putting these two words together, it could mean, for instance, a machine that makes time.

Peter Sokolowski:
Right because a bread machine is a machine that makes bread.

Ammon Shea:
Right.

Peter Sokolowski:
You’re coming at this from the angle of meaning, and there’s another angle which is the angle work, the editorial principle, the style file for Merriam-Webster editors. And Emily, you know the rule.

Emily Brewster:
I do, we call these compound terms, and compound terms can either be smooshed up together the way that schoolbus is, or they can have a hyphen between them, or they can have a space between them. The laypeople tend to think of the one with the space between it as being two different words; we consider them one word, or I fall back on term instead because people get all hung up on a word not having any spaces in it. But, to us, a word or a term is a set of sounds that has its own meaning that is not constructable from its elements.

Peter Sokolowski:
Exactly.

Ammon Shea:
Now, do we extend that same label to idioms?

Peter Sokolowski:
No, no, no, I don’t think so. I think what Emily is talking about is any number of what you might call terms or words that form a compound carrying a single meaning. Whereas an idiom is, actually, usually the metaphorical use of a concrete noun, but within a phrase. The fact is it’s not substitutable as a single part of speech.

Ammon Shea:
Hence if you had a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, that would be distinct as an idiom.

Peter Sokolowski:
That’s an idiom.

Ammon Shea:
However, if you spelled bird bath as two distinct words, we would still consider that a word.

Peter Sokolowski:
Absolutely, absolutely. The thing is what I was getting at, Emily, and I know that you know this rule as a definer, is what we call SE in the office, which is self-evident. If a compound, as Emily just described, is self-evident, then the rule originally, as laid down by Philip Gove in the 1950s, was it does not get entered in the dictionary to save space. Bread machine is not in the dictionary, tomato juice is not in the dictionary, cattle ranch is not in the dictionary because you can look up cattle and you can look up ranch and you can derive the meaning. However, dude ranch is in the dictionary because there’s nothing you can find at dude or at ranch would tell you that this is a place where city people go to behave like country people.

Emily Brewster:
As opposed to being a ranch where dudes are cared for and cultivated.

Peter Sokolowski:
You would understand it improperly if you went by the two separate definitions.

Emily Brewster:
Right, now we also say SE is self-evident or self-explanatory. I think that’s the gloss that I typically give it, self-explanatory. Pen machine, by the way, we do define at its own place, at its own entry, we shorthand lexicography speak its own place. It’s got its own place entry. A pen machine is not a machine that makes or provides pens. A pen machine is a machine for ruling, like making straight lines with pens.

Peter Sokolowski:
I noticed that entry is from Webster’s Third, so it comes from a time when this print technology was very relevant and very important. It may not be the entry we’d add today, it seems arcane to me.

Ammon Shea:
What I think is interesting about this is that we’re still at this late date wrestling with the vestiges of print convention.

Peter Sokolowski:
Print, absolutely.

Ammon Shea:
That, to me, almost all of the words that I come across in the dictionary that are listed as SE, I always feel like there could be another meaning to that. I feel like almost nothing is actually SE and maybe that’s my limited or perhaps overactive imagination, but I feel like I’m constantly coming across things. Not just in our dictionary, in any dictionary that has things as SE where I feel like I would like further expectation of that.

Peter Sokolowski:
Right, and so the original rule was to save space and it’s absolutely true. The style file, the rules for writing definitions, the guidelines for editors at Merriam-Webster, I believe, at least 95% of them, were completely tied to print technology, to type setting and to saving space. We can blame a million things on that. The strange way we address capitalization, the very compact nature of most dictionary definitions, and untying that knot I think will take a generation or two. For example, orange juice was never an entry in our dictionaries until recently. We actually did add it simply because the words orange and juice appear together in English so frequently that on frequency alone, it merits an entry. So we are changing those rules.

Ammon Shea:
This is not restricted to Merriam, by the way, I know that at Oxford, in some of the dictionaries, they would frequently define words that to the lay person or the average user of the dictionary, the reason for leaving things out for emissions is inexplicable. For instance, cherry pie was never defined, but apple pie was defined because apple pie comes up in as American as apple pie.

Peter Sokolowski:
And that has a metaphorical meaning.

Ammon Shea:
Well, of course, that makes sense. But if you’re just looking up apple pie, then you look up cherry pie and you see one but not the other, this is not at all evident unless you read the front matter of the dictionary, which as we all know-

Peter Sokolowski:
No one does.

Ammon Shea:
… it’s the best place to ever hide anything.

Emily Brewster:
It also is how we defend ourselves. But I would just want to make the point that this is not just about space constraints, it is also about editorial resources. If editors were going to spend their time, if we were going to give definers the job of, «Well, just define every common phrase even if it is self-explanatory,» we would have no time to keep up with various new terms.

Ammon Shea:
That is an excellent point, and it brings to mind the wonderful exchange that happened in the early 20th century between the Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, James Murray, and William Craigie. Which was that Murray was a somewhat irascible Scotsman who was not overly fond of William Craigie, who was one of his editors, the four main editors along with Murray. Because he thought he was putting in unnecessary information, and it wasn’t just taking up time, it was taking up editorial resources, as Emily had so jointly pointed out. One time Craigie put in the entry for a railway porter and his illustrative citation was he was a railway porter, and Murray flew into a fury.

He wrote, I think, it was an 11-page letter culminated with the line, «There is no part of my duties that is so onerous as that of checking your copy.» I think it was partly spaced, again, but mostly I think it was just he felt it was a waste of their time.

Peter Sokolowski:
Well, that brings up a great point, which is example sentences that are chosen, are chosen really carefully in order usually to illustrate the meaning that is given. In that case, you get nothing from that sentence. You could have replaced it with anything to use juice again, cranberry juice, tomato juice, apple juice. There, the juice of an apple, the juice of a tomato. But there is an entry at tobacco juice and the definition is «saliva colored brown by tobacco or snuff.» When you spit it on a baseball field, it’s called tobacco juice. In other words, it is not the juice of the tobacco leaf.

Ammon Shea:
Which also has a synonym is ambeer, which is the spat out juice from tobacco.

Peter Sokolowski:
Good Lord.

Ammon Shea:
Emily, I was going to ask you, do you often or do you ever come across words in defining, since you are among us the chief definer, where you think this just does not need to be in here?

Emily Brewster:
Oh, well, sure. When I come across an entry like pen machine, it seems like this term is probably not a term that is so prominent anymore that it needs coverage. But, I don’t know, I think more often I come across things that I think need to be included. I have the opposite problem. This topic brings to mind a compound that I took great pleasure in defining a number of years ago, and that was the term hot mess. Something or someone that is emphatically a mess in organization or a number of different things. But the term hot mess is not a new term, but this use of hot mess was new.

In defining the term hot mess in this modern sense of something or someone that is not holding it down, not keeping it together, I became aware of the self-explanatory sense of hot mess that is much, much older. That goes back centuries. That is a dish of soft or pulpy food that is hot. At that point, when the word only had that meaning, it did not qualify for entry. It was not until hot mess took on this extended use that it met our criteria for entry.

Peter Sokolowski:
And the original mess was messes in mess hall.

Emily Brewster:
That’s right, yep.

Ammon Shea:
That reminds me of meltdown. Similarly, when it first came up, I think wouldn’t have qualified because it was obvious, it was something melted down and it was used by ice cream manufacturers in the 1930s.

Peter Sokolowski:
I think of it as something very dangerous.

Ammon Shea:
Right, well, then in 1950s it was co-opted by the nuclear industry when the core would melt down and something, and now we use it where often as a breakdown of self-control if somebody has a meltdown. It’s gone from open to hyphenated to close compound along the way. Just like hot mess at the beginning, I don’t think it would’ve qualified.

Peter Sokolowski:
Another one that has changed meaning is ground zero. Some would say misused epicenter, the actual point of origin of something such as an outbreak. Whereas initially it was the area of ground below the explosion of a nuclear device, which usually explodes somewhere in the air. So that’s a meaning that has shifted and probably is understood in the newer way by most people.

Emily Brewster:
Even in that original sense, that still would not be considered self-explanatory.

Peter Sokolowski:
No, you needed a definition for sure. It reminds me of another compound of two words that clearly mean something different when they are used together, dad joke. Because if you can look up dad and look up joke, you will never really get the true meaning of this one. I have to give credit to Scott Simon of NPR, who pointed out to me that we didn’t have a definition for this a couple years ago, and now we do. I love the idea of this challenge, which is to make a good definition of something to make it clear that this is not self-evident.

That a wholesome joke of the type said to be told by fathers with a punchline that is often an obvious or predictable pun or play on words, and usually judged to be endearingly corny or unfunny. It’s a definition I’m proud of partly because we had the space now online to have a longer definition than was traditional. Also there’s a lot of words in there like endearingly and wholesome that add a lot of flavor.

Ammon Shea:
I’m sure that Roy, at this point, is really regretting his life choices in asking us this question. I don’t remember who came up with this initially, somebody else pointed this out, and I’m very sorry for failing to credit them properly. But somebody pointed out the semantic difference between two seemingly self-explanatory things: booty call and butt dial. Now, these are both exactly pretty much the same in butt dial, booty call. They’re both the posterior region and the act of making a phone call, but they have very, very different meetings.

Peter Sokolowski:
Exactly.

Ammon Shea:
And were you to just say that one is self-explanatory, or both are self-explanatory and leave them unglossed….

Emily Brewster:
Yeah, it’s a really brilliant example because the reference of each element of each of those terms, the reference in its literal sense is identical.

Ammon Shea:
Right, yeah.

Peter Sokolowski:
It’s the same.

Ammon Shea:
So that, Roy, is why we do not leave these things out because otherwise you will end up making a booty call when you meant to butt dial.

Emily Brewster:
You are listening to Word Matters. I’m Emily Brewster. We’ll be back after the break with the spelling of yay. Yay. Word matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.

Ammon Shea:
I’m Ammon Shea. Do you have a question about the origin, history, or meaning of a word? Email us at wordmatters@m-w.com.

Peter Sokolowski:
I’m Peter Sokolowski, join me every day for the word of the day. A brief look at the history and definition of one word available at merriam-webster.com, or wherever you get your podcasts. For more podcasts from New England Public Media, visit the NEPM podcast hub at nepm.org.

Emily Brewster:
Upon receiving some happy news, an English speaker might shout out «yay!» But how would that person spell it? Y-A-Y works certain, but could they also spell it Y-E-A-H? What about Y-E-A? I’ll sort it all out. We have another question from a writer named Connie. She writes, «It’s what kids say when there is ice cream for dessert. I always spell it yay, Y-A-Y. Two friends I’ve received emails from this week diverged in their spellings, Y-E-A-H and Y-E-A. So she is asking what the deal is with these words? All right, my podcast companions, how do you spell the one that you say when you’re happy about dessert?

Peter Sokolowski:
Y-A-Y does seem to be the one.

Ammon Shea:
Is H-U-Z-Z-A-H an option?

Peter Sokolowski:
I would recognize it that way. It does seem celebratory and different from just an affirmation.

Ammon Shea:
I would spell it Y-A-Y.

Emily Brewster:
All right, that’s how I would spell it also, and that is indeed the one that we define as an interjection, and we define it as used to express joy, approval, or excitement. I was shocked, I tell you, to learn that according to the current research, this word dates only to 1963.

Peter Sokolowski:
Wow, really?

Emily Brewster:
Yeah, so I don’t know how people were expressing their great joy at having ice cream, but Y-E-A-H is a much older word, and we define it as an adverb meaning «yes.» We also include the note it’s often used sarcastically in phrases like yeah right and yeah sure to express doubt or disbelief. The OED dates that yeah right meaning only to like 1969.So yeah, Y-E-A-H, according to your friendly Merriam-Webster Dictionary, means yes, it is not an expression of joy, approval, or excitement. Now then there is also Y-E-A, also an adverb, and that means yes and that is super old. That dates to the 12th century, which doesn’t seem too surprising, right? Yea sounds very old. It formerly was only used to answer a question that did not involve a negative.

Peter Sokolowski:
Oh, right, okay.

Ammon Shea:
You mean not yay or nay?

Emily Brewster:
Right.

Ammon Shea:
Nothing about ice cream?

Emily Brewster:
No ice cream at all. You could say if you vote in favor say yea.

Peter Sokolowski:
That’s the yeas have it, if we make it a noun.

Emily Brewster:
Right, the yeas have it. Yes, yes. But then there is also a Y-A-H that we define as an interjection that is entirely the opposite of what all of these mean. We define that as «used to express disgust, contempt, defiance, or derision.»

Peter Sokolowski:
Yah.

Ammon Shea:
Yah.

Emily Brewster:
Right. But the OED also includes an entry for Y-A-H that they define as an adverb and a noun that means yes.

Ammon Shea:
Yah.

Peter Sokolowski:
Yah.

Emily Brewster:
Yah, right, and that of course makes me think of the German J-A word. That’s how you write yes in German, ja.

Ammon Shea:
They have much greater coverage of say regional dialects.

Emily Brewster:
They do, and their note actually says «in early use, frequently in representations of German, Dutch, or Afrikaner speech.»

Peter Sokolowski:
It doesn’t makes sense.

Emily Brewster:
Yep.

Peter Sokolowski:
And those are cousin languages, of course.

Emily Brewster:
Yes, yes, all clip simulated.

Peter Sokolowski:
It’s the same word phonetically.

Emily Brewster:
That’s right. That’s right. But then they note that in Britain, from the 1980s onwards, it was particularly associated with upper class or upper middle class English speech.

Peter Sokolowski:
No kidding.

Emily Brewster:
Yeah, so for all of you who are using Y-A-H as an adverb or a noun to mean yes, that is kind of an uppity sort of a usage.

Peter Sokolowski:
Yeah.

Ammon Shea:
A little posh of you.

Peter Sokolowski:
A little posh. There’s another entry that is related only phonetically to this, but I have to bring it up because it has maybe my favorite etymology in our dictionaries, and that is the entry in the Unabridged for Yé-Yé. Which is spelled with an E and an acute accent. That’s the accent rising to the right, so it’s spelled Y-E, with an accent, -Y-E, Yé-Yé as an adjective. The definition is «of relating to, or featuring rock and roll as it developed in France.» The etymology reads French from the English expression, yeah-yeah. Exclamation often interpolated in rock and roll performances.

Ammon Shea:
I like the juxtaposition of interpolated with rock and roll because it’s-

Peter Sokolowski:
Rock n’ roll.

Ammon Shea:
Yeah.

Peter Sokolowski:
I love Yé-Yé music anyway, but that’s that funny entry in the Unabridged.

Emily Brewster:
That’s fantastic. I wonder if the band, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, knows about Yé-Yé?

Peter Sokolowski:
It’s sort of a genre, as you might guess, so in France you would understand it to mean that poppy sound of the ’60s.

Emily Brewster:
Like Serge Gainsbourg?

Peter Sokolowski:
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, he wrote a lot of those songs and Françoise Pancrazzi who was maybe the leader of that pack, the young teenage singer of the early ’60s.

Emily Brewster:
So yeah for that and yay for Yé-Yé.

Peter Sokolowski:
Yeah, lots of affirmation.

Ammon Shea:
Yeah.

Emily Brewster:
Let us know what you think about Word Matters. Review us wherever you get your podcasts or email us at wordmatters@m-w.com. You can also visit us at nepm.org, and for the word of the day and all your general dictionary needs, visit merriam-webster.com. Our theme music is by Tobias Voigt. Artwork by Annie Jacobson. Word Matters is produced by John Voci and Adam Maid. For Peter Sokolowski and Ammon Shea, I’m Emily Brewster. Word Matters is produced by Merriam-Webster in collaboration with New England Public Media.

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What Are Compound Words?

Types of Compound Words

Open Compound Words

Closed Compound Words

Hyphenated Compound Words

Compound Nouns

Compound Verbs

Compound Adjectives

List of Compound Words

Open Compound Words

Closed Compound Words

Hyphenated Compound Words

A Huge List of Compound Words

Compound Words | Images

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Noun[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Types of Compounds

Examples and Observations

Stress Test

Distinguishing Features of Compounds

Plurals of Compounds

Compounds in the Dictionary

Compounding in Shakespeare’s King Lear

The Lighter Side of Compounding

Compound Words Definition

Compounding in English Examples

Types of Compound Words

Open Compounds

Closed Compounds

Hyphenated Compounds

Hyphenating Compound Words

Compound Words List

Open Compound Words

Closed Compound Words

Hyphenated Compound Words

Compounding — Key takeaways

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