What is the definition of the word compound

com·pound ¹

 (kŏm-pound′, kəm-, kŏm′pound′)

v. com·pound·ed, com·pound·ing, com·pounds

v.tr.

1. To combine so as to form a whole; mix: Tin was often compounded with lead to make pewter.

2. To produce or create by combining two or more ingredients or parts; compose or make up: pharmacists compounding prescriptions.

3. To settle (a debt, for example) by agreeing on an amount less than the claim; adjust.

4. To compute (interest) on the principal and accrued interest.

5.

a. To add to or intensify so as to make worse: «The university authorities … compounded their crime in dismissing [the professor] by denying that their action … reflected any abridgment of academic freedom» (John Kenneth Galbraith).

b. To make worse by being an additional or intensifying factor: High winds compounded the difficulties of the firefighters.

v.intr.

1. To combine in or form a compound.

2. To come to terms; agree.

adj. (kŏm′pound′, kŏm-pound′, kəm-)

1. Consisting of two or more substances, ingredients, elements, or parts.

2. Botany Composed of more than one part: a compound pistil.

n. (kŏm′pound′)

1. A combination of two or more elements or parts.

2. Linguistics A word that consists either of two or more elements that are independent words, such as loudspeaker, self-portrait, or high school, or of specially modified combining forms of words, such as Greek philosophia, from philo-, «loving,» and sophia, «wisdom.»

3. Chemistry A pure, macroscopically homogeneous substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions that cannot be separated by physical means. A compound usually has properties unlike those of its constituent elements.

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[Alteration of Middle English compounen, from Old French componre, compondre, to put together, from Latin compōnere; see component.]

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com·pound′a·ble adj.

com·pound′er n.

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com·pound ²

 (kŏm′pound′)

n.

1. A building or buildings, especially a residence or group of residences, set off and enclosed by a barrier.

2. An enclosed area used for confining prisoners of war.

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[Alteration of Malay kampong, village.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

compound

n

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

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

3. (Linguistics) a word formed from two existing words or combining forms

vb (mainly tr)

4. to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product

5. to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etc: to compound a new plastic.

6. to intensify by an added element: his anxiety was compounded by her crying.

7. (Banking & Finance) finance to calculate or pay (interest) on both the principal and its accrued interest

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

9. (Banking & Finance) (also intr) to settle (a debt, promise, etc) for less than what is owed; compromise

10. (Law) law to agree not to prosecute in return for a consideration: to compound a crime.

11. (Electrical Engineering) 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

adj

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

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

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

15. (Grammar) (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. (Music, other) music

a. denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of three: six-four is an example of compound time.

b. (of an interval) greater than an octave

17. (Zoology) zoology another word for colonial⁶

18. (Mechanical Engineering) (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

19. (Mechanical Engineering) (of a piston engine) having a turbocharger powered by a turbine in the exhaust stream

[C14: from earlier compounen, from Old French compondre to collect, set in order, from Latin compōnere]

comˈpoundable adj

comˈpounder n

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compound

(ˈkɒmpaʊnd)

n

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

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

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

[C17: by folk etymology (influenced by compound¹) from Malay kampong village]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

com•pound¹

(adj. ˈkɒm paʊnd, kɒmˈpaʊnd; n. ˈkɒm paʊnd; v. kəmˈpaʊnd, ˈkɒm paʊnd)

adj.

1. composed of two or more parts, elements, or ingredients: Soap is a compound substance.

2. having or involving two or more actions or functions: The mouth is a compound organ.

3. (of a word)

a. consisting of two or more parts that are also words, as housetop, many-sided, playact, or upon.

b. consisting of two or more parts that are also bases, as biochemistry or ethnography.

4. (of a verb tense) consisting of an auxiliary verb and a main verb, as are swimming, have spoken, or will write (opposed to simple).

5. composed of several similar parts that combine to form a whole: a compound fruit.

6. composed of a number of distinct but connected individuals, as coral.

n.

7. something formed by compounding or combining parts, elements, etc.

8. a pure substance composed of two or more elements whose chemical composition is constant.

9. a compound word, esp. one composed of two or more words that are otherwise unaltered, as moonflower or rainstorm.

v.t.

10. to put together into a whole; combine: to compound drugs to form a new medicine.

11. to make or form by combining parts, elements, etc.; construct: a medicine compounded from various drugs.

12. to increase or add to, esp. so as to worsen: a problem that was compounded by their isolation.

13. to settle or adjust by agreement, esp. for a reduced amount, as a debt.

14. to agree, for a consideration, not to prosecute or punish a wrongdoer for: to compound a crime or felony.

15. to pay (interest) on the accrued interest as well as the principal.

v.i.

16. to make a bargain; come to terms; compromise.

17. to form a compound.

[1350–1400; Middle English compounen < Middle French compon-, s. of compondre < Latin compōnere; see component]

com•pound′a•ble, adj.

com•pound′ed•ness, n.

com•pound′er, n.

com•pound²

(ˈkɒm paʊnd)

n.

a separate area, usu. fenced or walled, containing residences, business offices, barracks, or other structures.

[1670–80; alter., by association with compound¹, of Malay kampung village, collection, gathering; compare kampong]

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

com·pound

(kŏm′pound′)

Noun

Chemistry A substance made up of two or more elements joined by chemical bonds into a molecule. The elements are combined in a definite ratio. Water, for example, is a compound having two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom in each molecule.

Adjective

Composed of more than one part, as a compound eye or leaf.

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Compound

 a union; a chemical bonding of elements—Wilkes.

Example: compound of two liquids, 1710.

Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

compound

Past participle: compounded
Gerund: compounding

Imperative
compound
compound

Present
I compound
you compound
he/she/it compounds
we compound
you compound
they compound

Preterite
I compounded
you compounded
he/she/it compounded
we compounded
you compounded
they compounded

Present Continuous
I am compounding
you are compounding
he/she/it is compounding
we are compounding
you are compounding
they are compounding

Present Perfect
I have compounded
you have compounded
he/she/it has compounded
we have compounded
you have compounded
they have compounded

Past Continuous
I was compounding
you were compounding
he/she/it was compounding
we were compounding
you were compounding
they were compounding

Past Perfect
I had compounded
you had compounded
he/she/it had compounded
we had compounded
you had compounded
they had compounded

Future
I will compound
you will compound
he/she/it will compound
we will compound
you will compound
they will compound

Future Perfect
I will have compounded
you will have compounded
he/she/it will have compounded
we will have compounded
you will have compounded
they will have compounded

Future Continuous
I will be compounding
you will be compounding
he/she/it will be compounding
we will be compounding
you will be compounding
they will be compounding

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been compounding
you have been compounding
he/she/it has been compounding
we have been compounding
you have been compounding
they have been compounding

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been compounding
you will have been compounding
he/she/it will have been compounding
we will have been compounding
you will have been compounding
they will have been compounding

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been compounding
you had been compounding
he/she/it had been compounding
we had been compounding
you had been compounding
they had been compounding

Conditional
I would compound
you would compound
he/she/it would compound
we would compound
you would compound
they would compound

Past Conditional
I would have compounded
you would have compounded
he/she/it would have compounded
we would have compounded
you would have compounded
they would have compounded

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

compound

A word formed from two or more other words or word parts.

Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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German Sacristan, the director of print-on-demand services, said demand is projected to soar past pre-pandemic production by next year and to continue rising at a compound annual rate of 8 percent through 2025.


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With a market share of roughly $571 million in 2021, the compound annual growth rate of green burial practices is expected to be 8.7% until 2030.


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As Fortune previously reported, the global cybersecurity market is expected to reach $403 billion by 2027—making the compound annual growth rate 12.5% from 2020 to 2027.


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According to a report from Grand View Research, the US gender-affirming surgery market was valued at $1.9 billion in 2021 and is expected to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 11.23 percent from 2022 to 2030.


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The local Buddhist temple in Baan Ta Klang lets villagers tie up their elephants in its compound, which also has an elephant cemetery.


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The local Buddhist temple in Baan Ta Klang lets villagers tie up their elephants in its compound, which also has an elephant cemetery.


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Confrontations at the hilltop compound have triggered wider violence in the region in the past.


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Other insects may need to contact the compound in order to detect it, and they may be repelled by the taste.


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The family began construction in the early ‘90s and the compound took several decades to complete, according to Tere Foster of Compass, who holds the listing with colleague Moya Skillman.


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Without it, the compounds remain relatively inert, like the food in your freezer.


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Those concerns are largely justified: The compound’s presence in the U.S. drug supply has sent overdose rates soaring.


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See More

In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme (less precisely, a word or sign) that consists of more than one stem. Compounding, composition or nominal composition is the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes. Compounding occurs when two or more words or signs are joined to make a longer word or sign. A compound that uses a space rather than a hyphen or concatenation is called an open compound or a spaced compound; the alternative is a closed compound.

The meaning of the compound may be similar to or different from the meaning of its components in isolation. The component stems of a compound may be of the same part of speech—as in the case of the English word footpath, composed of the two nouns foot and path—or they may belong to different parts of speech, as in the case of the English word blackbird, composed of the adjective black and the noun bird. With very few exceptions, English compound words are stressed on their first component stem.

As a member of the Germanic family of languages, English is unusual in that even simple compounds made since the 18th century tend to be written in separate parts. This would be an error in other Germanic languages such as Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, and Dutch. However, this is merely an orthographic convention: As in other Germanic languages, arbitrary noun phrases, for example «girl scout troop», «city council member», and «cellar door», can be made up on the spot and used as compound nouns in English too.

For example, German «Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitän» would be written in English as «Danube steamship transport company captain» and not as «Danubesteamshiptransportcompanycaptain».

The addition of affix morphemes to words (such as suffixes or prefixes, as in employ → employment) should not be confused with nominal composition, as this is actually morphological derivation.

Some languages easily form compounds from what in other languages would be a multi-word expression. This can result in unusually long words, a phenomenon known in German (which is one such language) as Bandwurmwörter or tapeworm words.

Sign languages also have compounds. They are created by combining two or more sign stems.

So-called «classical compounds» are compounds derived from classical Latin or ancient Greek roots.

Formation of compounds[edit]

Compound formation rules vary widely across language types.

In a synthetic language, the relationship between the elements of a compound may be marked with a case or other morpheme. For example, the German compound Kapitänspatent consists of the lexemes Kapitän (sea captain) and Patent (license) joined by an -s- (originally a genitive case suffix); and similarly, the Latin lexeme paterfamilias contains the archaic genitive form familias of the lexeme familia (family). Conversely, in the Hebrew language compound, the word בֵּית סֵפֶר bet sefer (school), it is the head that is modified: the compound literally means «house-of book», with בַּיִת bayit (house) having entered the construct state to become בֵּית bet (house-of). This latter pattern is common throughout the Semitic languages, though in some it is combined with an explicit genitive case, so that both parts of the compound are marked, e.g. Arabic عبد الله ʕabd-u l-lāh-i (servant-NOM DEF-god-GEN) «servant of-the-god: the servant of God».

Agglutinative languages tend to create very long words with derivational morphemes. Compounds may or may not require the use of derivational morphemes also. In German, extremely
extendable compound words can be found in the language of chemical compounds, where, in the cases of biochemistry and polymers, they can be practically unlimited in length, mostly because the German rule suggests combining all noun adjuncts with the noun as the last stem. German examples include Farb­fernsehgerät (color television set), Funk­fernbedienung (radio remote control), and the often quoted jocular word Donau­dampfschifffahrts­gesellschafts­kapitänsmütze (originally only two Fs, Danube-Steamboat-Shipping Company captain[‘s] hat), which can of course be made even longer and even more absurd, e.g. Donau­dampfschifffahrts­gesellschafts­kapitänsmützen­reinigungs­ausschreibungs­verordnungs­diskussionsanfang («beginning of the discussion of a regulation on tendering of Danube steamboat shipping company captain hats») etc. According to several editions of the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest published German word has 79 letters and is Donau­dampfschiffahrts­elektrizitäten­hauptbetriebswerkbau­unterbeamten­gesellschaft («Association for Subordinate Officials of the Main Electric[ity] Maintenance Building of the Danube Steam Shipping»), but there is no evidence that this association ever actually existed.

In Finnish, although there is theoretically no limit to the length of compound words, words consisting of more than three components are rare. Even those with fewer than three components can look mysterious^{[clarification needed]} to non-Finnish speakers, such as hätäuloskäynti (emergency exit). Internet folklore sometimes suggests that lentokone­suihkuturbiinimoottori­apumekaanikko­aliupseerioppilas (Airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student) is the longest word in Finnish, but evidence of its actual use is scant and anecdotal at best.^[1]

Compounds can be rather long when translating technical documents from English to some other language, since the lengths of the words are theoretically unlimited, especially in chemical terminology. For example, when translating an English technical document to Swedish, the term «Motion estimation search range settings» can be directly translated to rörelse­uppskattnings­sökintervalls­inställningar, though in reality, the word would most likely be divided in two: sökintervalls­inställningar för rörelse­uppskattning – «search range settings for motion estimation».

Subclasses[edit]

Semantic classification[edit]

A common semantic classification of compounds yields four types:

• endocentric
• exocentric
• copulative
• appositional

An endocentric compound (tatpuruṣa in the Sanskrit tradition) consists of a head, i.e. the categorical part that contains the basic meaning of the whole compound, and modifiers, which restrict this meaning. For example, the English compound doghouse, where house is the head and dog is the modifier, is understood as a house intended for a dog. Endocentric compounds tend to be of the same part of speech (word class) as their head, as in the case of doghouse.

An exocentric compound (bahuvrihi in the Sanskrit tradition) is a hyponym of some unexpressed semantic category (such as a person, plant, or animal): none (neither) of its components can be perceived as a formal head, and its meaning often cannot be transparently guessed from its constituent parts. For example, the English compound white-collar is neither a kind of collar nor a white thing. In an exocentric compound, the word class is determined lexically, disregarding the class of the constituents. For example, a must-have is not a verb but a noun. The meaning of this type of compound can be glossed as «(one) whose B is A», where B is the second element of the compound and A the first. A bahuvrihi compound is one whose nature is expressed by neither of the words: thus a white-collar person is neither white nor a collar (the collar’s colour is a metonym for socioeconomic status). Other English examples include barefoot.

Copulative compounds (dvandva in the Sanskrit tradition) are compounds with two semantic heads, for example in a gradual scale (such a mix of colours).

Appositional compounds are lexemes that have two (contrary or simultaneous) attributes that classify the compound.

Type	Description	Examples
endocentric	A+B denotes a special kind of B	darkroom, smalltalk
exocentric	A+B denotes a special kind of an unexpressed different semantic meaning C	redhead, scarecrow
copulative	A+B denotes ‘the sum’ of what A and B denote	bittersweet, sleepwalk
appositional	A and B provide different descriptions for the same referent	hunter-gatherer, maidservant

Syntactic classification[edit]

Noun–noun compounds[edit]

All natural languages have compound nouns. The positioning of the words (i.e. the most common order of constituents in phrases where nouns are modified by adjectives, by possessors, by other nouns, etc.) varies according to the language. While Germanic languages, for example, are left-branching when it comes to noun phrases (the modifiers come before the head), the Romance languages are usually right-branching.

English compound nouns can be spaced, hyphenated, or solid, and they sometimes change orthographically in that direction over time, reflecting a semantic identity that evolves from a mere collocation to something stronger in its solidification. This theme has been summarized in usage guides under the aphorism that «compound nouns tend to solidify as they age»; thus a compound noun such as place name begins as spaced in most attestations and then becomes hyphenated as place-name and eventually solid as placename, or the spaced compound noun file name directly becomes solid as filename without being hyphenated.

German, a fellow West Germanic language, has a somewhat different orthography, whereby compound nouns are virtually always required to be solid or at least hyphenated; even the hyphenated styling is used less now than it was in centuries past.

In French, compound nouns are often formed by left-hand heads with prepositional components inserted before the modifier, as in chemin-de-fer ‘railway’, lit. ‘road of iron’, and moulin à vent ‘windmill’, lit. ‘mill (that works)-by-means-of wind’.

In Turkish, one way of forming compound nouns is as follows: yeldeğirmeni ‘windmill’ (yel: wind, değirmen-i: mill-possessive); demiryolu ‘railway’ (demir: iron, yol-u: road-possessive).

Occasionally, two synonymous nouns can form a compound noun, resulting in a pleonasm. One example is the English word pathway.

Verb–noun compounds[edit]

A type of compound that is fairly common in the Indo-European languages is formed of a verb and its object, and in effect transforms a simple verbal clause into a noun.

In Spanish, for example, such compounds consist of a verb conjugated for the second person singular imperative followed by a noun (singular or plural): e.g., rascacielos (modelled on «skyscraper», lit. ‘scratch skies’), sacacorchos ‘corkscrew’ (lit. ‘pull corks’), guardarropa ‘wardrobe’ (lit. ‘store clothes’). These compounds are formally invariable in the plural (but in many cases they have been reanalyzed as plural forms, and a singular form has appeared). French and Italian have these same compounds with the noun in the singular form: Italian grattacielo ‘skyscraper’, French grille-pain ‘toaster’ (lit. ‘toast bread’).

This construction exists in English, generally with the verb and noun both in uninflected form: examples are spoilsport, killjoy, breakfast, cutthroat, pickpocket, dreadnought, and know-nothing.

Also common in English is another type of verb–noun (or noun–verb) compound, in which an argument of the verb is incorporated into the verb, which is then usually turned into a gerund, such as breastfeeding, finger-pointing, etc. The noun is often an instrumental complement. From these gerunds new verbs can be made: (a mother) breastfeeds (a child) and from them new compounds mother-child breastfeeding, etc.

Verb-noun compounds derived from classical languages tend to be nouns; rarely, a verb-noun classical compound can be a verb. One example is miscegenate, a word that literally falls into disuse nowadays, which is derived from a Latin verb and a Latin noun. In the Australian Aboriginal language Jingulu, a Pama–Nyungan language, it is claimed that all verbs are V+N compounds, such as «do a sleep», or «run a dive», and the language has only three basic verbs: do, make, and run.^[2]

A special kind of compounding is incorporation, of which noun incorporation into a verbal root (as in English backstabbing, breastfeed, etc.) is most prevalent (see below).

Verb–verb compounds[edit]

Verb–verb compounds are sequences of more than one verb acting together to determine clause structure. They have two types:

• In a serial verb, two actions, often sequential, are expressed in a single clause. For example, Ewe trɔ dzo, lit. «turn leave», means «turn and leave», and Hindi जाकर देखो jā-kar dekh-o, lit. «go-CONJUNCTIVE PARTICIPLE see-IMPERATIVE«, means «go and see». In Tamil, a Dravidian language, van̪t̪u paːr, lit. «come see». In each case, the two verbs together determine the semantics and argument structure.

Serial verb expressions in English may include What did you go and do that for?, or He just upped and left; this is however not quite a true compound since they are connected by a conjunction and the second missing arguments may be taken as a case of ellipsis.

• In a compound verb (or complex predicate), one of the verbs is the primary, and determines the primary semantics and also the argument structure. The secondary verb, often called a vector verb or explicator, provides fine distinctions, usually in temporality or aspect, and also carries the inflection (tense and/or agreement markers). The main verb usually appears in conjunctive participial (sometimes zero) form. For examples, Hindi निकल गया nikal gayā, lit. «exit went», means ‘went out’, while निकल पड़ा nikal paRā, lit. «exit fell», means ‘departed’ or ‘was blurted out’. In these examples निकल nikal is the primary verb, and गया gayā and पड़ा paRā are the vector verbs. Similarly, in both English start reading and Japanese 読み始める yomihajimeru «read-CONJUNCTIVE-start» «start reading», the vector verbs start and 始める hajimeru «start» change according to tense, negation, and the like, while the main verbs reading and 読み yomi «reading» usually remain the same. An exception to this is the passive voice, in which both English and Japanese modify the main verb, i.e. start to be read and 読まれ始める yomarehajimeru lit. «read-PASSIVE-(CONJUNCTIVE)-start» start to be read. With a few exceptions, all compound verbs alternate with their simple counterparts. That is, removing the vector does not affect grammaticality at all nor the meaning very much: निकला nikalā ‘(He) went out.’ In a few languages both components of the compound verb can be finite forms: Kurukh kecc-ar ker-ar lit. «died-3pl went-3pl» ‘(They) died.’
• Compound verbs are very common in some languages, such as the northern Indo-Aryan languages Hindustani and Punjabi, and Dravidian languages like Tamil, where as many as 20% of verb forms in running text are compound. They exist but are less common in other Indo-Aryan languages like Marathi and Nepali, in Tibeto-Burman languages like Limbu and Newari, in Turkic languages like Turkish and Kyrgyz, in Korean and Japanese, and in northeast Caucasian languages like Tsez and Avar.
• Under the influence of a Quichua substrate speakers living in the Ecuadorian altiplano have innovated compound verbs in Spanish:

De rabia puso rompiendo la olla, ‘In anger (he/she) smashed the pot.’ (Lit. from anger put breaking the pot)

Botaremos matándote ‘We will kill you.’ (Cf. Quichua huañuchi-shpa shitashun, lit. kill-CP throw.1plFut.

Likewise in Hindi: तेरे को मार डालेंगे tere ko mār DāleNge, lit. «we will kill-throw you»).

• Compound verb equivalents in English (examples from the internet):

What did you go and do that for?

If you are not giving away free information on your web site then a huge proportion of your business is just upping and leaving.

Big Pig, she took and built herself a house out of brush.

• Caution: In descriptions of Persian and other Iranian languages the term ‘compound verb’ refers to noun-plus-verb compounds, not to the verb–verb compounds discussed here.

Parasynthetic compounds[edit]

Parasynthetic compounds are formed by a combination of compounding and derivation, with multiple lexical stems and a derivational affix. For example, English black-eyed is composed of black, eye, and -ed ‘having’, with the meaning ‘having a black eye’;^[3] Italian imbustare is composed of in- ‘in’, busta ‘envelope’, -are (verbal suffix), with the meaning ‘to put into an envelope’.^[4]

Compound adpositions[edit]

Compound prepositions formed by prepositions and nouns are common in English and the Romance languages (consider English on top of, Spanish encima de, etc.). Hindi has a small number of simple (i.e., one-word) postpositions and a large number of compound postpositions, mostly consisting of simple postposition ke followed by a specific postposition (e.g., ke pas, «near»; ke nīche, «underneath»).

Examples from different languages[edit]

Chinese (traditional/simplified Chinese; Standard Chinese Pinyin/Cantonese Jyutping):

• 學生/学生 ‘student’: 學 xué/hok6 learn + 生 shēng/sang1 living being
• 太空/太空 ‘space’: 太 tài/taai3 great + 空 kōng/hung1 emptiness
• 摩天樓/摩天楼 ‘skyscraper’: 摩 mó/mo1 touch + 天 tiān/tin1 sky + 樓 lóu/lau2 building (with more than 1 storey)
• 打印機/打印机 ‘printer’: 打 dǎ/daa2 strike + 印 yìn/yan3 stamp/print + 機 jī/gei1 machine
• 百科全書/百科全书 ‘encyclopaedia’: 百 bǎi/baak3 hundred + 科 kē/fo1 (branch of) study + 全 quán/cyun4 entire/complete + 書 shū/syu1 book
• 謝謝/谢谢 ‘thanks’: Repeating of 謝 xiè thank

Dutch:

• arbeids­ongeschiktheids­verzekering ‘disability insurance’: arbeid ‘labour’ + ongeschiktheid ‘inaptitude’ + verzekering ‘insurance’.
• rioolwater­zuiverings­installatie ‘sewage treatment plant’: riool ‘sewer’ + water ‘water’ + zuivering ‘cleaning’ + installatie ‘installation’.
• verjaardags­kalender ‘birthday calendar’: verjaardag ‘birthday’ + kalender ‘calendar’.
• klantenservice­medewerker ‘customer service representative’: klanten ‘customers’ + service ‘service’ + medewerker ‘worker’.
• universiteits­bibliotheek ‘university library’: universiteit ‘university’ + bibliotheek ‘library’.
• doorgroei­mogelijkheden ‘possibilities for advancement’: door ‘through’ + groei ‘grow’ + mogelijkheden ‘possibilities’.

Finnish:

• sanakirja ‘dictionary’: sana ‘word’ + kirja ‘book’
• tietokone ‘computer’: tieto ‘knowledge data’ + kone ‘machine’
• keskiviikko ‘Wednesday’: keski ‘middle’ + viikko ‘week’
• maailma ‘world’: maa ‘land’ + ilma ‘air’
• rautatieasema ‘railway station’: rauta ‘iron’ + tie ‘road’ + asema ‘station’
• kolmivaihe­kilowattitunti­mittari ‘electricity meter’: ‘three-phase kilowatt hour meter’

German:

• Wolkenkratzer ‘skyscraper’: Wolken ‘clouds’ + Kratzer ‘scraper’
• Eisenbahn ‘railway’: Eisen ‘iron’ + Bahn ‘track’
• Kraftfahrzeug ‘automobile’: Kraft ‘power’ + fahren/fahr ‘drive’ + Zeug ‘machinery’
• Stacheldraht ‘barbed wire’: Stachel ‘barb/barbed’ + Draht ‘wire’
• Rinder­kennzeichnungs- und Rindfleisch­etikettierungs­überwachungs­aufgaben­übertragungs­gesetz: literally cattle-marking- and beef-labeling-supervision-duties-delegation law

Ancient Greek:

• φιλόσοφος philosopher: φίλος phílos ‘beloved’ + σοφία sophíā ‘wisdom’
• δημοκρατία dēmokratíā ‘democracy’: δῆμος dêmos ‘people’ + κράτος ‘rule’
• ῥοδοδάκτυλος rhododáktylos ‘rose-fingered’: ῥόδον rhódon ‘rose’ + δάκτυλος dáktylos ‘finger’ (a Homeric epithet applied to the Dawn)

Icelandic:

• járnbraut ‘railway’: járn ‘iron’ + braut ‘path’ or ‘way’
• farartæki ‘vehicle’: farar ‘journey’ + tæki ‘apparatus’
• alfræðiorðabók ‘encyclopedia’: al ‘everything’ + fræði ‘study’ or ‘knowledge’ + orðabók ‘dictionary’ (orða ‘words’ + bók ‘book’)
• símtal ‘telephone conversation’: sím ‘telephone’ + tal ‘dialogue’

Italian:

• millepiedi ‘centipede’: mille ‘thousand’ + piedi ‘feet’
• ferrovia ‘railway’: ferro ‘iron’ + via ‘way’
• tergicristallo ‘windscreen wiper’: tergere ‘to wash’ + cristallo ‘crystal (pane of) glass’
• pomodoro: pomo d’oro = apple of Gold = tomatoes
• portacenere = porta cenere = ashtray

Japanese:

• 目覚まし（時計） mezamashi(dokei) ‘alarm clock’: 目 me ‘eye’ + 覚まし samashi (-zamashi) ‘awakening (someone)’ (+ 時計 tokei (-dokei) clock)
• お好み焼き okonomiyaki: お好み okonomi ‘preference’ + 焼き yaki ‘cooking’
• 日帰り higaeri ‘day trip’: 日 hi ‘day’ + 帰り kaeri (-gaeri) ‘returning (home)’
• 国会議事堂 kokkaigijidō ‘national diet building’: 国会 kokkai ‘national diet’ + 議事 giji ‘proceedings’ + 堂 dō ‘hall’

Korean:

• 안팎 anpak ‘inside and outside’: 안 an ‘inside’ + 밖 bak ‘outside’ (As two nouns compound the consonant sound ‘b’ fortifies into ‘p’ becoming 안팎 anpak rather than 안밖 anbak)

Ojibwe/Anishinaabemowin:

• mashkikiwaaboo ‘tonic’: mashkiki ‘medicine’ + waaboo ‘liquid’
• miskomin ‘raspberry’: misko ‘red’ + miin ‘berry’
• dibik-giizis ‘moon’: dibik ‘night’ + giizis ‘sun’
• gichi-mookomaan ‘white person/American’: gichi ‘big’ + mookomaan ‘knife’

Spanish:

• ciencia-ficción ‘science fiction’: ciencia, ‘science’, + ficción, ‘fiction’ (This word is a calque from the English expression science fiction. In English, the head of a compound word is the last morpheme: science fiction. Conversely, the Spanish head is located at the front, so ciencia ficción sounds like a kind of fictional science rather than scientific fiction.)
• ciempiés ‘centipede’: cien ‘hundred’ + pies ‘feet’
• ferrocarril ‘railway’: ferro ‘iron’ + carril ‘lane’
• paraguas ‘umbrella’: para ‘stops’ + aguas ‘(the) water’
• cabizbajo ‘keeping the head low in a bad mood’: cabeza ‘head’ + bajo ‘down’
• subibaja ‘seesaw’ (contraction of sube y baja ‘goes up and down’)
• limpiaparabrisas ‘windshield wiper’ is a nested compound:^[5] limpia ‘clean’ + parabrisas windshield, which is itself a compound of para ‘stop’ + brisas ‘breezes’.

Tamil:

• In Cemmozhi (Classical Tamil), rules for compounding are laid down in grammars such as Tolkappiyam and Nannūl, in various forms, under the name punarcci. Examples of compounds include kopuram from ‘kō’ (king) + ‘puram’ (exterior). Sometimes phonemes may be inserted during the blending process such as in kovil from ‘kō’ (king) + ‘il’ (home). Other types are like vennai (butter) from ‘veḷḷai’ (white) + ‘nei’ (ghee); note how ‘veḷḷai’ becomes ‘ven’.
• In koṭuntamizh (Non-standard Tamil), parts of words from other languages may be morphed into Tamil. Common examples include ‘ratta-azhuttam’ (blood pressure) from the Sanskrit rakta (blood) and Cemmozhi ‘azhuttam’ (pressure); note how rakta becomes ratta in Tamil order to remove the consonant-cluster. This also happens with English, for examples kāpi-kaṭai (coffee shop) is from English coffee, which becomes kāpi in Tamil, and the Tamil kaṭai meaning shop.

Tłįchǫ Yatiì/Dogrib:

• dlòotsǫ̀ǫ̀ ‘peanut butter’: dlòo ‘squirrel’ + tsǫ̀ǫ̀ ‘dung’
• eyakǫ̀ ‘hospital: eya ‘sick’ + kǫ̀ ‘house’
• dè gotłeè ‘kerosene’: dè ‘land’ + gotłeè ‘its fat’
• dǫ łèt’è ‘bannock’: dǫ ‘[Aboriginal] people’ + łèt’è ‘bread’

Germanic languages[edit]

In Germanic languages (including English), compounds are formed by prepending what is effectively a namespace (disambiguation context) to the main word. For example, «football» would be a «ball» in the «foot» context. In itself, this does not alter the meaning of the main word. The added context only makes it more precise. As such, a «football» must be understood as a «ball». However, as is the case with «football», a well established compound word may have gained a special meaning in the language’s vocabulary. Only this defines «football» as a particular type of ball (unambiguously the round object, not the dance party, at that), and also the game involving such a ball. Another example of special and altered meaning is «starfish» – a starfish is in fact not a fish in modern biology. Also syntactically, the compound word behaves like the main word – the whole compound word (or phrase) inherits the word class and inflection rules of the main word. That is to say, since «fish» and «shape» are nouns, «starfish» and «star shape» must also be nouns, and they must take plural forms as «starfish» and «star shapes», definite singular forms as «the starfish» and «the star shape», and so on. This principle also holds for languages that express definiteness by inflection (as in North Germanic).

Because a compound is understood as a word in its own right, it may in turn be used in new compounds, so forming an arbitrarily long word is trivial. This contrasts to Romance languages, where prepositions are more used to specify word relationships instead of concatenating the words. As a member of the Germanic family of languages, English is unusual in that compounds are normally written in separate parts. This would be an error in other Germanic languages such as Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German and Dutch. However, this is merely an orthographic convention: As in other Germanic languages, arbitrary noun phrases, for example «girl scout troop», «city council member», and «cellar door», can be made up on the spot and used as compound nouns in English too.

Russian language[edit]

In the Russian language compounding is a common type of word formation, and several types of compounds exist, both in terms of compounded parts of speech and of the way of the formation of a compound.^[6]

Compound nouns may be agglutinative compounds, hyphenated compounds (стол-книга ‘folding table’, lit. ‘table-book’, «book-like table»), or abbreviated compounds (acronyms: колхоз ‘kolkhoz’). Some compounds look like acronym, while in fact they are an agglutinations of type stem + word: Академгородок ‘Akademgorodok’ (from akademichesky gorodok ‘academic village’). In agglutinative compound nouns, an agglutinating infix is typically used: пароход ‘steamship’: пар + о + ход. Compound nouns may be created as noun+noun, adjective + noun, noun + adjective (rare), noun + verb (or, rather, noun + verbal noun).

Compound adjectives may be formed either per se (бело-розовый ‘white-pink’) or as a result of compounding during the derivation of an adjective from a multi-word term: Каменноостровский проспект ([kəmʲɪnnʌʌˈstrovskʲɪj prʌˈspʲɛkt]) ‘Stone Island Avenue’, a street in St.Petersburg.

Reduplication in Russian is also a source of compounds.

Quite a few Russian words are borrowed from other languages in an already-compounded form, including numerous «classical compounds» or internationalisms: автомобиль ‘automobile’.

Sanskrit language[edit]

Sanskrit is very rich in compound formation with seven major compound types and as many as 55 sub-types.^[7] The compound formation process is productive, so it is not possible to list all Sanskrit compounds in a dictionary. Compounds of two or three words are more frequent, but longer compounds with some running through pages are not rare in Sanskrit literature.^[7] Some examples are below (hyphens below show individual word boundaries for ease of reading but are not required in original Sanskrit).

• हिमालय (IAST Himālaya, decomposed as hima-ālaya): Name of the Himalaya mountain range. Literally the abode of snow.^[8] A compound of two words and four syllables.
• प्रवर-मुकुट-मणि-मरीचि-मञ्जरी-चय-चर्चित-चरण-युगल (IAST pravara-mukuṭa-maṇi-marīci-mañjarī-caya-carcita-caraṇa-yugala): Literally, O the one whose dual feet are covered by the cluster of brilliant rays from the gems of the best crowns, from the Sanskrit work Panchatantra.^[7] A compound of nine words and 25 syllables.
• कमला-कुच-कुङ्कुम-पिञ्जरीकृत-वक्षः-स्थल-विराजित-महा-कौस्तुभ-मणि-मरीचि-माला-निराकृत-त्रि-भुवन-तिमिर (IAST kamalā-kuca-kuṅkuma-piñjarīkṛta-vakṣaḥ-sthala-virājita-mahā-kaustubha-maṇi-marīci-mālā-nirākṛta-tri-bhuvana-timira): Literally O the one who dispels the darkness of three worlds by the shine of Kaustubha jewel hanging on the chest, which has been made reddish-yellow by the saffron from the bosom of Kamalā (Lakshmi), an adjective of Rama in the Kakabhushundi Rāmāyaṇa.^[9] A compound of 16 words and 44 syllables.
• साङ्ख्य-योग-न्याय-वैशेषिक-पूर्व-मीमांसा-वेदान्त-नारद-शाण्डिल्य-भक्ति-सूत्र-गीता-वाल्मीकीय-रामायण-भागवतादि-सिद्धान्त-बोध-पुरः-सर-समधिकृताशेष-तुलसी-दास-साहित्य-सौहित्य-स्वाध्याय-प्रवचन-व्याख्यान-परम-प्रवीणाः (IAST sāṅkhya-yoga-nyāya-vaiśeṣika-pūrva-mīmāṃsā-vedānta-nārada-śāṇḍilya-bhakti-sūtra-gītā-vālmīkīya-rāmāyaṇa-bhāgavatādi-siddhānta-bodha-puraḥ-sara-samadhikṛtāśeṣa-tulasī-dāsa-sāhitya-sauhitya-svādhyāya-pravacana-vyākhyāna-parama-pravīṇāḥ): Literally the acclaimed forerunner in understanding of the canons of Sāṅkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaiśeṣika, Pūrva Mīmāṃsā, Vedānta, Nārada Bhakti Sūtra, Śāṇḍilya Bhakti Sūtra, Bhagavad Gītā, the Ramayana of Vālmīki, Śrīmadbhāgavata; and the most skilled in comprehensive self-study, discoursing and expounding of the complete works of Gosvāmī Tulasīdāsa.^[10] An adjective used in a panegyric of Jagadguru Rambhadracharya. The hyphens show only those word boundaries where there is no sandhi. On including word boundaries with sandhi (vedānta=veda-anta, rāmāyaṇa=rāma-ayana, bhāgavatādi=bhāgavata-ādi, siddhānta=siddha-anta, samadhikṛtāśeṣa=samadhikṛta-aśeṣa, svādhyāya=sva-adhyāya), this is a compound of 35 words and 86 syllables.

Sign languages[edit]

Also in sign languages, compounding is a productive word formation process. Both endocentric and exocentric compounds have been described for a variety of sign languages.^[11] Copulative compounds or dvandva, which are composed of two or more nouns from the same semantic category to denote that semantic category, also occur regularly in many sign languages. The sign for parents in Italian Sign Language, for instance, is a combination of the nouns ‘father’ and ‘mother’. The sign for breakfast in American Sign Language follows the same concept. The words eat and morning are signed together to create a new word meaning breakfast.^[12] This is an example of a sequential compound; in sign languages, it is also possible to form simultaneous compounds, where one hand represents one lexeme while the other simultaneously represents another lexeme. An example is the sign for weekend in Sign Language of the Netherlands, which is produced by simultaneously signing a one-handed version of the sign for Saturday and a one-handed version of the sign for Sunday.^[11] In American Sign Language there is another process easily compared to compounding. Blending is the blending of two morphemes to create a new word called a portmanteau.^[13] This is different from compounding in that it breaks the strict linear order of compounding. ^[14]

Recent trends in orthography[edit]

Although there is no universally agreed-upon guideline regarding the use of compound words in the English language, in recent decades written English has displayed a noticeable trend towards increased use of compounds.^[15] Recently, many words have been made by taking syllables of words and compounding them, such as pixel (picture element) and bit (binary digit). This is called a syllabic abbreviation.

In Dutch and the Scandinavian languages there is an unofficial trend toward splitting compound words, known in Norwegian as særskriving, in Swedish as särskrivning (literally «separate writing»), and in Dutch as Engelse ziekte (the «English disease»). Because the Dutch language and the Scandinavian languages rely heavily on the distinction between the compound word and the sequence of the separate words it consists of, this has serious implications. For example, the Danish adjective røykfritt (literally «smokefree», meaning no smoking allowed) if separated into its composite parts, would mean røyk fritt («smoke freely»). In Dutch, compounds written with spaces may also be confused, but can also be interpreted as a sequence of a noun and a genitive (which is unmarked in Dutch) in formal abbreviated writing. This may lead to, for example, commissie vergadering («commission meeting») being read as «commission of the meeting» rather than «meeting of the commission» (normally spelled commissievergadering).

The German spelling reform of 1996 introduced the option of hyphenating compound nouns when it enhances comprehensibility and readability. This is done mostly with very long compound words by separating them into two or more smaller compounds, like Eisenbahn-Unterführung (railway underpass) or Kraftfahrzeugs-Betriebsanleitung (car manual). Such practice is also permitted in other Germanic languages, e.g. Danish and Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk alike), and is even encouraged between parts of the word that have very different pronunciation, such as when one part is a loan word or an acronym.

Compounding by language[edit]

• Classical compounds
• English compounds
• German compounds
• Sanskrit compounds

See also[edit]

• Compound modifier
• Bracketing paradox
• Etymological calque
• Genitive connector
• Incorporation (linguistics)
• Kenning
• Multiword expression
• Neologism
• Noun adjunct
• Phono-semantic matching
• Portmanteau compounds
• Status constructus
• Syllabic abbreviation
• Tweebuffelsmeteenskootmorsdoodgeskietfontein, South African placename
• Word formation
• Univerbation: a phrase becomes a word

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

• Kortmann, Bernd: English Linguistics: Essentials, Cornelsen, Berlin 2005.
• The Oxford Handbook of Compounding, eds. Lieber, Rochelle & Pavol Štekauer, 2009. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Plag, Ingo: Word-formation in English, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2003.
• Scalise Sergio & Irene Vogel (eds.) (2010), Cross-Disciplinary Issues in Compounding, Amsterdam, Benjamins.

External links[edit]

• Compound word, encyclopedia.com
• Compounds and multi-word expressions in the languages of Europe by Rita Finkbeiner and Barbara Schlücker, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in English by Laurie Bauer, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Finnish by Irma Hyvärinen, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in French by Kristel Van Goethem, 2018
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in German by Barbara Schlücker, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Greek by Maria Koliopoulou, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Hungarian by Ferenc Kiefer, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Italian by Francesca Masini, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Polish by Bozena Cetnarowska, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Russian by Ingeborg Ohnheiser, 2019
  • Compounds and multi-word expressions in Spanish by Jesús Fernández-Domínguez, 2019

types:

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vanillin

a crystalline compound found in vanilla beans and some balsam resins; used in perfumes and flavorings

acceptor

(chemistry) in the formation of a coordinate bond it is the compound to which electrons are donated

adduct

a compound formed by an addition reaction

antiknock

any of various compounds that are added to gasoline to reduce engine knocking

acid

any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt

arsenide

a compound of arsenic with a more positive element

hydrogen cyanide

a highly poisonous gas or volatile liquid that smells like bitter almonds; becomes a gas at around 90 degree Fahrenheit and is most dangerous when inhaled; the anhydride of hydrocyanic acid; used in manufacturing

anionic compound

a compound characterized by an active anion

alkali, base

any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water

binary compound

chemical compound composed of only two elements

taurine

a colorless crystalline substance obtained from the bile of mammals

chromogen

a compound that can be converted to a pigment

manganese tetroxide

an oxide of manganese found naturally as hausmannite

monomer

a simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers

ozonide

any of a class of unstable chemical compounds resulting from the addition of ozone to a double bond in an unsaturated compound

organic compound

any compound of carbon and another element or a radical

ammine

a complex inorganic compound that contains ammonia molecules

anhydride

a compound formed from one or more other compounds in a reaction resulting in removal of water

azide

a chemical compound containing the azido group combined with an element or radical

bitter principle

any one of several hundred compounds having a bitter taste; not admitting of chemical classification

buffer

(chemistry) an ionic compound that resists changes in its pH

calcium-cyanamide, cyanamide

a compound used as a fertilizer and as a source of nitrogen compounds

carbonyl

a compound containing metal combined with carbon monoxide

carbon disulfide

a toxic colorless flammable liquid (CS2); used in the manufacture of rayon and cellophane and carbon tetrachloride and as a solvent for rubber

cofactor

a substance (as a coenzyme) that must join with another to produce a given result

cementite, iron carbide

a chemical compound that is a constituent of steel and cast iron; very hard and brittle

chloropicrin, nitrochloroform

a heavy colorless insoluble liquid compound that causes tears and vomiting; used as a pesticide and as tear gas

complex, coordination compound

a compound described in terms of the central atom to which other atoms are bound or coordinated

allomorph

any of several different crystalline forms of the same chemical compound

corrosive

a substance having the tendency to cause corrosion (such a strong acids or alkali)

aluminate

a compound of alumina and a metallic oxide

defoliant

a chemical that is sprayed on plants and causes their leaves to fall off

depilatory

a chemical (usually a sulfide) used to remove hair or wool or bristles from hides

derivative

a compound obtained from, or regarded as derived from, another compound

dimer

a compound whose molecules are composed of two identical monomers

fixer, fixing agent

a chemical compound that sets or fixes something (as a dye or a photographic image)

flavone

a colorless crystalline compound that is part of a number of white or yellow plant pigments

formulation, preparation

a substance prepared according to a formula

enantiomer, enantiomorph

either one of a pair of compounds (crystals or molecules) that are mirror images on each other but are not identical

exotherm

a compound that gives off heat during its formation and absorbs heat during its decomposition

goitrogen

any substance (such as thiouracil) that induces the formation of a goiter

benzofuran, coumarone, cumarone

a colorless oily compound extracted from coal tar and used in manufacturing synthetic resins

synthetic, synthetic substance

a compound made artificially by chemical reactions

hydrate

any compound that contains water of crystallization

hydroxide

a chemical compound containing the hydroxyl group

incense

a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned

inorganic compound

any compound that does not contain carbon

repellant, repellent

a chemical substance that repels animals

repellant, repellent

a compound with which fabrics are treated to repel water

iodocompound

a compound containing the covalent iodine radical

isomer

a compound that exists in forms having different arrangements of atoms but the same molecular weight

hydrated oxide, hydroxide

a compound of an oxide with water

menthol

a crystalline compound that has the cool and minty taste and odor that occurs naturally in peppermint oil; used as a flavoring and in medicine to relieve itching, pain, and nasal congestion

nitrogen mustard

a toxic compound resembling mustard gas in structure; important in cancer treatment

nitride

a compound containing nitrogen and a more electropositive element (such as phosphorus or a metal)

oxide

any compound of oxygen with another element or a radical

polymer

a naturally occurring or synthetic compound consisting of large molecules made up of a linked series of repeated simple monomers

preservative

a chemical compound that is added to protect against decay or decomposition

benzoquinone, quinone

any of a class of aromatic yellow compounds including several that are biologically important as coenzymes or acceptors or vitamins; used in making dyes

salt

a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)

caustic

any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue

nitrate

any compound containing the nitrate group (such as a salt or ester of nitric acid)

chloride

any compound containing a chlorine atom

heterocycle, heterocyclic, heterocyclic compound

a compound containing a heterocyclic ring

silicide

any of various compounds of silicon with a more electropositive element or radical

siloxane

any of a large class of compounds that have alternate silicon and oxygen atoms

solvate

a compound formed by solvation (the combination of solvent molecules with molecules or ions of the solute)

sternutator, sternutatory

a chemical substance that causes sneezing and coughing and crying

stripper

a chemical compound used to remove paint or varnish

sulfide, sulphide

a compound of sulphur and some other element that is more electropositive

telluride

any binary compound of tellurium with other more electropositive elements

tenderiser, tenderizer

a substance (as the plant enzyme papain) applied to meat to make it tender

tetrachloride

any compound that contains four chlorine atoms per molecule

triazine

any of three isomeric compounds having three carbon and three nitrogen atoms in a six-membered ring

U308, yellowcake

an impure mixture of uranium oxides obtained during the processing of uranium ore

enamel

a colored glassy compound (opaque or partially opaque) that is fused to the surface of metal or glass or pottery for decoration or protection

pregnanediol

a compound found in women’s urine during certain phases of the menstrual cycle and in the urine of pregnant women

cleaner, cleanser, cleansing agent

a preparation used in cleaning something

aldehyde

any of a class of highly reactive chemical compounds; used in making resins and dyes and organic acids

alcapton, alkapton, homogentisic acid

an acid formed as an intermediate product of the metabolism of tyrosine and phenylalanine

Plasticine

a synthetic material resembling clay but remaining soft; used as a substitute for clay or wax in modeling (especially in schools)

acetate, ethanoate

a salt or ester of acetic acid

lead tetraethyl, tetraethyl lead

a clear oily poisonous liquid added to gasoline to prevent knocking

aliphatic compound

organic compound that is an alkane or alkene or alkyne or their derivative

alkylbenzene

organic compound that has an alkyl group bound to a benzene ring

alkyl halide, haloalkane

organic compound in which halogen atoms have been substituted for hydrogen atoms in an alkane

amino acid, aminoalkanoic acid

organic compounds containing an amino group and a carboxylic acid group

citrate

a salt or ester of citric acid

diamine

any organic compound containing two amino groups

enol

an organic compound that contains a hydroxyl group bonded to a carbon atom which in turn is doubly bonded to another carbon atom

arsenate

a salt or ester of arsenic acid

arsenic acid

an acid formed from arsenic pentoxide

cerotic acid, hexacosanoic acid

a white solid fatty acid found in waxes (such as beeswax)

chlorate

any salt of chloric acid

chloric acid

(HClO3) a strong unstable acid with an acrid odor found in chlorate salts

chlorous acid

(HClO2) a strongly oxidizing acid; known only in solution

monobasic acid

an acid containing only one replaceable hydrogen atom per molecule

dibasic acid

an acid containing two replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule

dibasic salt

a salt derived by replacing two hydrogen atoms per molecule

tribasic acid

an acid containing three replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule

tetrabasic acid

an acid containing four replaceable hydrogen atoms per molecule

fulminic acid

(CNOH) an unstable acid occurring mainly in the form of explosive salts and esters that is isomeric with cyanic acid

gamma acid

a crystalline acid used to make azo dyes

hydriodic acid

(HI) a colorless or yellow aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide

hydrocyanic acid, prussic acid

a solution of hydrogen cyanide in water; weak solutions are used in fumigating and in the synthesis of organic compounds

hydroxy acid

any acid that has hydroxyl groups in addition to the hydroxyl group in the acid itself

hypochlorite

any salt or ester of hypochlorous acid

hyponitrous acid

an explosive white crystalline weak acid (H2N2O2)

lysergic acid

a crystalline acid often used in medical research; obtained from ergotic alkaloids

manganic acid

a dibasic acid (H2MnO4) found only in solution and in manganate salts

pyrophosphate

a salt or ester of pyrophosphoric acid

2-methylpropenoic acid, methacrylic acid

an unsaturated acid (C4H6O2) used to make resins and plastics

selenic acid

a strong acid (H2SeO4) analogous to sulfuric acid

sulfonate

a salt of sulphonic acid

sulfonic acid, sulphonic acid

an acid derived from sulphuric acid

titanic acid

a white weak acid that is a hydrated form of titanium dioxide

titania, titanic oxide, titanium dioxide, titanium oxide

a white powder used as a pigment for its high covering power and durability

chelate, chelate compound

a heterocyclic compound having a metal ion attached by coordinate bonds to at least two nonmetal ions

halon

a compound in which the hydrogen atoms of a hydrocarbon have been replaced by bromine and other halogen atoms; very stable; used in fire extinguishers although it is thought to release bromine that depletes the ozone layer

phosphor

a synthetic substance that is fluorescent or phosphorescent; used to coat the screens of cathode ray tubes

common salt, sodium chloride

a white crystalline solid consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl)

lactate

a salt or ester of lactic acid

perchlorate

a salt of perchloric acid

perchloric acid

a powerful oxidizing agent; forms perchlorates

pentoxide

an oxide containing five atoms of oxygen in the molecule

peptone

any of various water-soluble compounds that form by hydrolysis in the digestion of proteins to amino acids

quaternary ammonium compound

a compound derived from ammonium with hydrogen atoms replaced by organic groups; used as surface-active agents, disinfectants, and in drugs

proenzyme, zymogen

any of a group of compounds that are inactive precursors of enzymes and require some change (such as the hydrolysis of a fragment that masks an active enzyme) to become active

propylthiouracil

a crystalline compound used as an antithyroid drug in the treatment of goiter

pyridine

a toxic colorless flammable liquid organic base with a disagreeable odor; usually derived from coal

pyrites

any of various metallic-looking sulfides (of which pyrite is the commonest)

purine

a colorless crystalline organic base containing nitrogen; the parent compound of various biologically important substances

purine

any of several bases that are derivatives of purine

ether

any of a class of organic compounds that have two hydrocarbon groups linked by an oxygen atom

acetal

any organic compound formed by adding alcohol molecules to aldehyde molecules

aldehyde-alcohol, aldol

an oily colorless liquid obtained by the condensation of two molecules of acetaldehyde; contains an alcohol group (-OH) and an aldehyde group (-CHO)

alkali

a mixture of soluble salts found in arid soils and some bodies of water; detrimental to agriculture

alkaloid

natural bases containing nitrogen found in plants

amide

any organic compound containing the group -CONH2

rennet

a substance that curdles milk in making cheese and junket

azadirachtin

insecticide

carboxylic acid

an organic acid characterized by one or more carboxyl groups

aminobenzoic acid

a derivative of benzoic acid

ammonia

a pungent gas compounded of nitrogen and hydrogen (NH3)

ammonium chloride, sal ammoniac

a white salt used in dry cells

stercobilinogen, urobilinogen

a chromogen formed in the intestine from the breakdown of bilirubin; yields urobilins on oxidation; some is excreted in the feces and some is resorbed and excreted in bile or urine

aqua fortis, nitric acid

acid used especially in the production of fertilizers and explosives and rocket fuels

nitrous acid

an unstable inorganic acid known only in solution and as nitrite salts

nitrogen oxide

any of several oxides of nitrogen formed by the action of nitric acid on oxidizable materials; present in car exhausts

aqua regia, nitrohydrochloric acid

a yellow fuming corrosive mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid that dissolves metals (including gold)

acetic anhydride

a compound that is needed in order to refine opium into heroin

phthalic anhydride

a white cyclic anhydride

hydrazoite

a salt of hydrazoic acid

thiazine

a compound made up of a ring of four carbon atoms and one sulfur atom and one nitrogen atom

barbituric acid, malonylurea

a white crystalline acid derived from pyrimidine; used in preparing barbiturate drugs

benzoate

any salt or ester of benzoic acid

Prevacid, lansoprazole

antacid (trade name Prevacid) that suppresses acid secretion in the stomach

borate

a salt or ester of boric acid

boracic acid, boric acid

any of various acids containing boron and oxygen

boric acid, orthoboric acid

a white or colorless slightly acid solid that is soluble in water and ethanol; used in the manufacture of glass and paper and adhesives and in detergents and as a flux in welding; also used as an antiseptic and food preservative

borosilicate

a salt of boric and silicic acids

bromic acid

an unstable acid used as an oxidizing agent

cacodyl, tetramethyldiarsine

a poisonous oily liquid with a garlicky odor composed of 2 cacodyl groups; undergoes spontaneous combustion in dry air

calcium carbide

a grey salt of calcium (CaC) used in making acetylene

calcium lactate

a white crystalline salt made by the action of lactic acid on calcium carbonate; used in foods (as a baking powder) and given medically as a source of calcium

calcium nitrate

a deliquescent salt that is soluble in water; sometimes used as a source of nitrogen in fertilizers

burnt lime, calcined lime, calcium oxide, calx, fluxing lime, lime, quicklime, unslaked lime

a white crystalline oxide used in the production of calcium hydroxide

calcium octadecanoate, calcium stearate

an insoluble calcium salt of stearic acid and palmitic acid; it is formed when soap is mixed with water that contains calcium ions and is the scum produced in regions of hard water

carbamate

a salt (or ester) of carbamic acid

carbamic acid

an acid that is known only by virtue of its salts (as ammonium carbamate) or its esters (as urethane)

carbide

a binary compound of carbon with a more electropositive element

cellulose nitrate, guncotton, nitrocellulose, nitrocotton

a nitric acid ester; used in lacquers and explosives

carbolic acid, hydroxybenzene, oxybenzene, phenol, phenylic acid

a toxic white soluble crystalline acidic derivative of benzene; used in manufacturing and as a disinfectant and antiseptic; poisonous if taken internally

carbon tet, carbon tetrachloride, perchloromethane, tetrachloromethane

a colorless nonflammable liquid used as a solvent for fats and oils; because of its toxicity its use as a cleaning fluid or fire extinguisher has declined

carbonate

a salt or ester of carbonic acid (containing the anion CO3)

fulminate

a salt or ester of fulminic acid

carbonic acid

a weak acid known only in solution; formed when carbon dioxide combines with water

neurochemical

any organic substance that occurs in neural activity

acid anhydrides, acyl anhydrides

organic compounds that react with water to form an acid

acid halide, acyl halide

organic compounds containing the group -COX where X is a halogen atom

chromic acid

an unstable acid known only in solution and as chromate salts

chromate

any salt or ester of chromic acid

citric acid

a weak water-soluble acid found in many fruits (especially citrus fruits); used as a flavoring agent

hydrochloride

a complex consisting of an organic base in association with hydrogen chloride

copper oxide

an oxide of copper

aluminium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, hydrated aluminium oxide, hydrated aluminum oxide

white crystalline compound that occurs naturally as the mineral gibbsite

coal-tar creosote, creosote

a dark oily liquid obtained by distillation of coal tar; used as a preservative for wood

creosote

a colorless or yellowish oily liquid obtained by distillation of wood tar; used as an antiseptic

cyanamid, cyanamide

a weak soluble dibasic acid (the parent acid of cyanamide salts)

cyanic acid

a colorless poisonous volatile liquid acid that hydrolyzes readily to ammonia and carbon dioxide

cyanide

an extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid

cyanide, nitril, nitrile

any of a class of organic compounds containing the cyano radical -CN

cyanohydrin

any organic compound in which the cyano radical -CN and the hydroxyl radical -OH are attached to the same carbon atom

cyanuric acid

a trimer of cyanic acid

DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid

(biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information

RNA, ribonucleic acid

(biochemistry) a long linear polymer of nucleotides found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes; it transmits genetic information from DNA to the cytoplasm and controls certain chemical processes in the cell

dioxide

an oxide containing two atoms of oxygen in the molecule

H2O, water

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

ester

formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water

soda niter, sodium nitrate

(NaNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive

niter, nitre, potassium nitrate, saltpeter, saltpetre

(KNO3) used especially as a fertilizer and explosive

potassium bromide

a white crystalline salt (KBr) used as a sedative and in photography

potassium chlorate

a white salt (KClO3) used in matches, fireworks, and explosives; also used as a disinfectant and bleaching agent

potassium dichromate

an orange-red salt used in making dyes and in photography

ferric oxide

a red oxide of iron

ferricyanic acid

a brown unstable acid formed from ferricyanide

ferricyanide

salt of ferricyanic acid obtained by oxidation of a ferrocyanide

ferrocyanic acid

a white unstable acid formed from ferrocyanide salts

ferrocyanide

salt of ferrocyanic acid usually obtained by a reaction of a cyanide with iron sulphate

fixative

a compound (such as ethanol or formaldehyde) that fixes tissues and cells for microscopic study

fluoroboric acid

an acid of fluorine and boron

fluoroboride

a salt of fluoroboric acid

fluosilicate

salt of fluosilicic acid

fluosilicic acid, hydrofluosilicic acid

an unstable poisonous corrosive acid known primarily in the form of its salts

formic acid

a colorless pungent fuming vesicatory liquid acid HCOOH found naturally in ants and many plants or made catalytically from carbon monoxide and steam; used in finishing textiles and paper and in the manufacture of insecticides and fumigants

fumaric acid

a colorless crystalline acid with a fruity taste; used in making polyester resins

furan, furane, furfuran

a colorless toxic flammable liquid used in the synthesis of nylon

gallic acid

a colorless crystalline acid obtained from tannin

glutamate

a salt or ester of glutamic acid

glyceric acid

a syrupy acid obtained by oxidation of glycerol or glyceraldehyde

glycerinated gelatin

a gelatinous preparation made from gelatin and glycerin and water; used as a base for ointments and suppositories

Nitrospan, Nitrostat, glyceryl trinitrate, nitroglycerin, nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin

a heavy yellow poisonous oily explosive liquid obtained by nitrating glycerol; used in making explosives and medically as a vasodilator (trade names Nitrospan and Nitrostat)

glycoside

a group of compounds derived from monosaccharides

glycolic acid, glycollic acid, hydroxyacetic acid

a translucent crystalline compound found in sugar cane and sugar beets and unripe grapes

resin, rosin

any of a class of solid or semisolid viscous substances obtained either as exudations from certain plants or prepared by polymerization of simple molecules

synthetic resin

a resin having a polymeric structure; especially a resin in the raw state; used chiefly in plastics

copolymer

a polymer consisting of two or more different monomers

polyurethan, polyurethane

any of various polymers containing the urethane radical; a wide variety of synthetic forms are made and used as adhesives or plastics or paints or rubber

halide

a salt of any halogen acid

halocarbon

one of various compounds of carbon and any of the halogens

hemiacetal

an organic compound usually formed as an intermediate product in the preparation of acetals from aldehydes or ketones

erythrocytolysin, erythrolysin, haemolysin, hemolysin

any substance that can cause lysis (destruction) of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and the release of their hemoglobin

humic substance

an organic residue of decaying organic matter

hydride

any binary compound formed by the union of hydrogen and other elements

hydrobromic acid

an aqueous solution of hydrogen bromide that is a strong liquid acid

hydrocarbon

an organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen

chlorohydric acid, hydrochloric acid

an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride; a strongly corrosive acid

hydrogen chloride

a colorless corrosive gas (HCl)

hydrofluoric acid

a weak poisonous liquid acid; formed by solution of hydrogen fluoride in water

hydroiodic acid

an acid formed by aqueous solution of hydrogen iodide

hydrogen sulfide

a sulfide having the unpleasant smell of rotten eggs

hypo, sodium thiosulfate, sodium thiosulphate

a compound used as a fixing agent in photographic developing

hypochlorous acid

a weak unstable acid known only in solution and in its salts; used as a bleaching agent and as an oxidizing agent

glyoxaline, imidazole, iminazole

an organic base C3H4N2; a histamine inhibitor

insect repellant, insect repellent, insectifuge

a chemical substance that repels insects

iodic acid

a soluble crystalline acid; used as a reagent and disinfectant

iron disulfide

a compound containing two atoms of sulfur combined with iron

isocyanate

a salt or ester of isocyanic acid

isocyanic acid

an acid known only in the form of its esters

itaconic acid

a crystalline carboxylic acid; occurs in some fermentations of sugars

joss stick

a slender stick of incense burned before a joss by the Chinese

ketone

any of a class of organic compounds having a carbonyl group linked to a carbon atom in each of two hydrocarbon radicals

lignin

a complex polymer; the chief constituent of wood other than carbohydrates; binds to cellulose fibers to harden and strengthen cell walls of plants

calcium hydrate, calcium hydroxide, caustic lime, hydrated lime, lime, lime hydrate, slaked lime

a caustic substance produced by heating limestone

calcium chloride

a deliquescent salt; used in de-icing and as a drying agent

calcium sulfate, calcium sulphate

a white salt (CaSO4)

lye

a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide

macromolecule, supermolecule

any very large complex molecule; found only in plants and animals

magnesium hydroxide

a white crystalline powder used chiefly in medicines

magnesium nitride

a nitride containing nitrogen and magnesium

maleic acid

a colorless crystalline compound found in unripe fruit (such as apples or tomatoes or cherries) and used mainly to make polyester resins

manganate

a salt of manganic acid containing manganese as its anion

cyanuramide, melamine

a white crystalline organic base; used mainly in making melamine resins

calomel, mercurous chloride

a tasteless colorless powder used medicinally as a cathartic

monohydrate

a hydrate that contains one molecule of water per molecule of the compound

monoxide

an oxide containing just one atom of oxygen in the molecule

chrome alum

a violet-colored salt used in hide tanning and as a mordant in dyeing

tartrate

a salt or ester of tartaric acid

nebula

a medicinal liquid preparation intended for use in an atomizer

nitrobenzene

a poisonous oily water-soluble liquid used as a solvent and in the manufacture of aniline

polyamide, polymeric amide

a polymer containing repeated amide groups

oxalacetate, oxaloacetate

a salt or ester of oxalacetic acid

oxalacetic acid, oxaloacetic acid

an acid formed by oxidation of maleic acid (as in metabolism of fats and carbohydrates)

oxalate

a salt or ester of oxalic acid

ethanedioic acid, oxalic acid

a toxic colorless crystalline organic acid found in oxalis and other plants; used as a bleach and rust remover and in chemical analysis

oxime

any compound containing the group -C=NOH

oxyacid, oxygen acid

any acid that contains oxygen

pantothen, pantothenic acid

a vitamin of the vitamin B complex that performs an important role in the oxidation of fats and carbohydrates and certain amino acids; occurs in many foods

PABA, para aminobenzoic acid

a metabolic acid found in yeast and liver cells; used to make dyes and drugs and sun blockers

pectic acid

a complex acid that occurs in ripe fruit and some vegetables

permanganate

a dark purple salt of permanganic acid; in water solution it is used as a disinfectant and antiseptic

permanganic acid

an unstable purple acid (HMnO4) known only in solution or of permanganate salts

peroxide

an inorganic compound containing the divalent ion -O-O-

petrochemical

any compound obtained from petroleum or natural gas

inorganic phosphate, orthophosphate, phosphate

a salt of phosphoric acid

creatine phosphate, creatine phosphoric acid, phosphocreatine

an organic compound of creatine and phosphoric acid; found in the muscles of vertebrates where its hydrolysis releases energy for muscular contraction

phthalic acid

a colorless acid used to make dyes and perfumes

picric acid

a yellow toxic highly explosive strong acid; used in high explosives and as a dye and in chemical reactions

phenol

any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds; molecule contains one or more hydroxyl groups

polyphosphate

a salt or ester of polyphosphoric acid

polish

a preparation used in polishing

caustic potash, potash, potassium hydroxide

a potassium compound often used in agriculture and industry

acrylate, propenoate

a salt or ester of propenoic acid

pyrimidine

a heterocyclic organic compound with a penetrating odor

pyrimidine

any of several basic compounds derived from pyrimidine

pyruvic acid

a colorless acid formed as an important intermediate in metabolism or fermentation

quassia

a bitter compound used as an insecticide and tonic and vermifuge; extracted from the wood and bark of trees of the genera Quassia and Picrasma

minium, red lead

a reddish oxide of lead (Pb3O4) used as a pigment in paints and in glass and ceramics

rubber, synthetic rubber

any of various synthetic elastic materials whose properties resemble natural rubber

salicylate

a salt of salicylic acid (included in several commonly used drugs)

double salt

a solution of two simple salts that forms a single substance on crystallization

bile salt

a salt of bile acid and a base; functions as an emulsifier of lipids and fatty acids

Glauber’s salt, Glauber’s salts

(Na2SO4.10H2O) a colorless salt used as a cathartic

cream of tartar, potassium bitartrate, potassium hydrogen tartrate, tartar

a salt used especially in baking powder

sodium chlorate

a colorless salt (NaClO3) used as a weed killer and an antiseptic

dichromic acid

the hypothetical acid (H2Cr2O7) from which dichromates are derived; known only in solution and in the form of dichromate salts

bichromate, dichromate

a salt of the hypothetical dichromic acid

sodium bichromate, sodium dichromate

a red-orange salt used as a mordant

ammonium nitrate

used as an explosive and fertilizer and rocket propellant

silver nitrate

a nitrate used in making photographic emulsions; also used in medicine as a cautery and as a topical antibacterial agent

caustic soda, sodium hydroxide

a strongly alkaline caustic used in manufacturing soap and paper and aluminum and various sodium compounds

microcosmic salt

a white salt present in urine and used to test for metal oxides

trichloride

any compound containing three chlorine atoms in each molecule

bichloride, dichloride

a compound containing two chlorine atoms per molecule

perchloride

a chloride containing an unusually high proportion of chlorine

aluminium chloride, aluminum chloride

a chloride used as a wood preservative or catalyst

dichloromethane, methylene chloride

a nonflammable liquid used as a solvent and paint remover and refrigerant

obidoxime chloride

a chloride used as an antidote for nerve gases such as sarin or VX

silver chloride

a chloride used chiefly in the manufacture of photographic emulsions

stannic chloride

a colorless caustic liquid made by treating tin with chlorine

starch

a commercial preparation of starch that is used to stiffen textile fabrics in laundering

hemin, protohemin

a reddish-brown chloride of heme; produced from hemoglobin in laboratory tests for the presence of blood

silicic acid

a jellylike substance (hydrated silica)

silicate

a salt or ester derived from silicic acid

silicone, silicone polymer

any of a large class of siloxanes that are unusually stable over a wide range of temperatures; used in lubricants and adhesives and coatings and synthetic rubber and electrical insulation

silica, silicon dioxide, silicon oxide

a white or colorless vitreous insoluble solid (SiO2); various forms occur widely in the earth’s crust as quartz or cristobalite or tridymite or lechatelierite

smelling salts

a pungent preparation of ammonium carbonate and perfume; sniffed as a stimulant to relieve faintness

sal soda, soda, soda ash, sodium carbonate, washing soda

a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper

sodium carboxymethyl cellulose

a gummy substance that is a sodium salt of carboxymethyl cellulose; used as a thickening or emulsifying agent

sodium fluoride

a colorless crystalline salt of sodium (NaF) used in fluoridation of water and to prevent tooth decay

spice

aromatic substances of vegetable origin used as a preservative

steroid

any of several fat-soluble organic compounds having as a basis 17 carbon atoms in four rings; many have important physiological effects

nonsteroid, nonsteroidal

an organic compound that does no contain a steroid

sulfanilic acid, sulphanilic acid

a crystalline acid made from aniline and used as a dye

sulfate, sulphate

a salt or ester of sulphuric acid

sulfur oxide, sulphur oxide

any of several oxides of sulphur

superoxide

a metallic oxide containing the univalent anion O2-

tetroxide

an oxide containing four atoms of oxygen in the molecule

thiouracil

depresses the function of the thyroid gland

thiocyanate

a salt of thiocyanic acid; formed when alkaline cyanides are fused with sulfur

thiocyanic acid

an unstable acid that can be obtained by distilling a thiocyanate salt

toluic acid

an isomeric acid derived from toluene

trimer

a polymer (or a molecule of a polymer) consisting of three identical monomers

trioxide

an oxide containing three atoms of oxygen in the molecule

triphosphoric acid

an acid that is a partial anhydride of three molecules of phosphoric acid; known chiefly in the form of its salts and esters

tungstate

a salt of tungstic acid

coenzyme Q, ubiquinone

any of several quinones found in living cells and that function as coenzymes that transfer electrons from one molecule to another in cell respiration

undecylenic acid

an acid that is a component of perspiration

uranyl nitrate

a yellow salt obtained by the reaction of uranium salts with nitric acid

carbamide, urea

the chief solid component of mammalian urine; synthesized from ammonia and carbon dioxide and used as fertilizer and in animal feed and in plastics

uric acid

a white tasteless odorless crystalline product of protein metabolism; found in the blood and urine

urate

a salt of uric acid

vanadate

a salt or ester of vanadic acid; an anion containing pentavalent vanadium

oil of vitriol, sulfuric acid, sulphuric acid, vitriol

(H2SO4) a highly corrosive acid made from sulfur dioxide; widely used in the chemical industry

cadmium sulfide

a yellow sulfide used chiefly as a pigment

flowers of zinc, philosopher’s wool, philosophers’ wool, zinc oxide

oxide of zinc; a white powder used as a pigment or in cosmetics or glass or inks and in zinc ointment

zinc sulfide, zinc sulphide

a yellow to white crystalline fluorescent compound that occurs naturally as sphalerite or wurtzite and is used as a luminous pigment

zirconia, zirconium dioxide, zirconium oxide

a white crystalline oxide; used in refractories and in insulation and abrasives and enamels and glazes

imide

any of a class of organic compounds that contain the divalent radical -CONHCO-

xanthate

a salt or ester of xanthic acid

xanthic acid

any of a class of unstable organic acids containing sulphur

xanthine

crystalline oxidation product of the metabolism of nucleoproteins; precursor of uric acid; found in many organs and in urine

See Also: composition series compositor compossible compost Compostela composure compotation compotator compote compotier compound compound eye compound flower compound fraction compound fracture compound function compound interest compound interval compound leaf compound lens compound magnet Recent searches: View All

Go to Preferences page and choose from different actions for taps or mouse clicks. WordReference Random House Learner’s Dictionary of American English © 2023 com•pound1 /adj., v. ˈkɑmpaʊnd, kəmˈpaʊnd; n. ˈkɑmpaʊnd/USA pronunciation   adj. [before a noun] composed of two or more ingredients: Bronze is a compound metal made of copper and tin. having or involving two or more actions or functions: The mouth is a compound organ. Grammar(of a word) Grammarmade up of two or more parts that are also words, as housetop, many-sided, playact, or upon. made up of two or more parts that are also bases, as biochemistry or ethnography. Grammar(of a verb tense) made up of an auxiliary verb and a main verb, as are swimming, have spoken, or will write(opposed to simple ). n. [countable] something formed by compounding or combining parts, elements, etc.:Water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. Grammara compound word, esp. one composed of two or more words, as moonflower or rainstorm. v. [~ + object] to put together into a whole; combine: to compound drugs to form a new medicine. to make or form by combining parts; construct: The medicine was compounded from various drugs. to increase or add to, esp. so as to worsen:When he started arguing with the police officer it only compounded his problems. Businessto pay (interest) on the interest already earned as well as on the principal:The bank compounds interest on a savings account. com•pound•a•ble, adj.  com•pound•er, n. [countable]See -pound-. com•pound2 /ˈkɑmpaʊnd/USA pronunciation   n. [countable] a separate area, usually fenced or walled, containing barracks or other structures. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2023 com•pound1  (adj. kom′pound, kom pound′;n. kom′pound; v. kəm pound′, kom′pound),USA pronunciation adj.  composed of two or more parts, elements, or ingredients:Soap is a compound substance. having or involving two or more actions or functions:The mouth is a compound organ. Grammarof or pertaining to a compound sentence or compound-complex sentence. Grammar(of a word) consisting of two or more parts that are also bases, 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). Grammar(of a verb tense) consisting of an auxiliary verb and a main verb, as are swimming, have spoken, or will write (opposed to simple). Botanycomposed of several similar parts that combine to form a whole:a compound fruit. [Zool.]composed of a number of distinct individuals that are connected to form a united whole or colony, as coral. [Music.]of or pertaining to compound time. Mechanical Engineering[Mach.]noting an engine or turbine expanding the same steam or the like in two successive chambers to do work at two ranges of pressure. n. something formed by compounding or combining parts, elements, etc. Chemistrya pure substance composed of two or more elements whose composition is constant. Grammara compound word, esp. one composed of two or more words that are otherwise unaltered, as moonflower or rainstorm. v.t. to put together into a whole; combine:to compound drugs to form a new medicine. to make or form by combining parts, elements, etc.; construct:to compound a new plan from parts of several former plans. to make up or constitute:all the organs and members that compound a human body. to settle or adjust by agreement, esp. for a reduced amount, as a debt. Lawto agree, for a consideration, not to prosecute or punish a wrongdoer for:to compound a crime or felony. Businessto pay (interest) on the accrued interest as well as the principal:My bank compounds interest quarterly. to increase or add to:The misery of his loneliness was now compounded by his poverty. Electricityto connect a portion of the field turns of (a direct-current dynamo) in series with the armature circuit. v.i. to make a bargain; come to terms; compromise. Businessto settle a debt, claim, etc., by compromise. to form a compound. Latin compōnere, equivalent. to com- com— + pōnere to put; (adjective, adjectival) Middle English compouned, past participle of compounen, as above Middle French compon- (stem of compondre) (verb, verbal) Middle English compounen 1350–1400 com•pound′a•ble, adj.  com•pound′ed•ness, n.  com•pound′er, n.  com•pound2  (kom′pound),USA pronunciation n.  (in the Far East) an enclosure containing residences, business offices, or other establishments of Europeans. (in Africa) a similar enclosure for native laborers. any enclosure, esp. for prisoners of war. any separate cluster of homes, often owned by members of the same family. 1670–80; alteration, by association with compound1, of Malay kampung village, collection, gathering; compare kampong Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers:: compound n /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/ a substance that contains atoms of two or more chemical elements held together by chemical bonds any combination of two or more parts, aspects, etc a word formed from two existing words or combining forms vb /kəmˈpaʊnd/(mainly tr) to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etc: to compound a new plastic to intensify by an added element: his anxiety was compounded by her crying (also intr) to come to an agreement in (a quarrel, dispute, etc) (also intr) to settle (a debt, promise, etc) for less than what is owed; compromise to agree not to prosecute in return for a consideration: to compound a crime adj /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/ composed of or created by the combination of two or more parts, elements, etc (of a word) consisting of elements that are also words or productive combining forms (of a verb or the tense, mood, etc, of a verb) formed by using an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of three: six-four is an example of compound time (of an interval) greater than an octave (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 (of a piston engine) having a turbocharger powered by a turbine in the exhaust stream Etymology: 14th Century: from earlier compounen, from Old French compondre to collect, set in order, from Latin compōnere comˈpoundable adj compound /ˈkɒmpaʊnd/ n (esp formerly in South Africa) an enclosure, esp on the mines, containing the living quarters for Black workers any similar enclosure, such as a camp for prisoners of war Etymology: 17th Century: by folk etymology (influenced by compound1) from Malay kampong village ‘compound‘ also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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