compound

Everyday

1. (science) A substance made of two or more elements joined chemically: water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. tree →
2. (grammar) A word made from two or more words: "football" is a compound word. tree →
3. An area of buildings surrounded by a fence or wall: a prison compound. tree →
4. (adjective) Made of several parts: a compound sentence. tree →
5. (verb, formal) To make a problem worse: the cold compounded our troubles. tree →
6. (maths, adjective) Compound interest: interest earned on the interest too, not just on the starting money. tree →
7. To be compounded of several things means to be made by mixing them together. tree →

In the lessons

In science, compounds are made of elements bonded together. In English lessons compound words and compound sentences are taught. In maths, compound interest grows faster than simple interest; compound shapes are made of rectangles joined together and you find their area part by part. Phrases: chemical compound, compound word, compound interest, compound shape.

Examples

• Water is a compound of hydrogen and oxygen. tree →
• "Sunflower" is a compound word. tree →
• Find the area of the compound shape by splitting it into two rectangles. tree →
• A compound sentence joins two sentences with "and", "but" or "so". tree →
• The soldiers lived in a fenced compound. tree →
• (formal) The rain compounded the problems after the flood. tree →
• With compound interest, 100 at 10% becomes 110, then 121. tree →
• The first part is compounded of a comic and a serious theme. tree →

Note

Noun said COM-pound; the verb is often said com-POUND. In science, a compound is different from a mixture: a compound needs a chemical change to separate it. In maths, compound interest each year adds a percentage of the new total.

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah, to compound means to mix spices or ingredients together by a craftsman's art.

Interpretation. The anointing oil was used to make priests, kings and Tabernacle objects holy. Tradition lists its exact spices.

Examples

• And thou shalt make it a holy anointing oil, a perfume compounded after the art of the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil. (Torah EXO.30.25, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

Noun said COM-pound; the verb is often said com-POUND. In science, a compound is different from a mixture: a compound needs a chemical change to separate it. In maths, compound interest each year adds a percentage of the new total.