compound

compound

I

com‧pound¹ AC /ˈkɒmpaʊnd $ ˈkɑːm-/ noun [countable]1. technical a substance containing atoms from two or more elements ⇨ element:
    man-made organic compounds
    compound of
    Sulphur dioxide is a compound of sulphur and oxygen.
2. a combination of two or more parts, substances, or qualities
    compound of
    Teaching is a compound of several different skills.
    Brush on a damp-proofing compound.
3. an area that contains a group of buildings and is surrounded by a fence or wall:
    a prison compound
4. technical a noun, adjective etc that is made up of two or more words. The noun ‘flower shop’ and the adjective ‘self-made’ are compounds.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + compound
   ▪ an organic compound (=containing carbon) the organic compounds of which living things are made
   ▪ an inorganic compound (=not containing carbon)
   ▪ a chemical compound (=formed by a chemical process involving two or more elements)
   ▪ a carbon/nitrogen/sulphur etc compound Use a copper compound to protect the trees from pests.
   ▪ a toxic/dangerous compound (=containing poisonous or harmful substances) toxic compounds such as heavy metals
■ verbs
   ▪ form a compound Atoms combine in specific ways to form chemical compounds.
   ▪ a compound contains something This compound contains two atoms of nitrogen and four atoms of hydrogen.
     

THESAURUS

■ a mxture of chemical substances
   ▪ compound a chemical substance that contains atoms of two or more elements: common chemical compounds such as sodium chloride
   ▪ solution a liquid mixed with a solid or a gas: a weak sugar solution

II

com‧pound² AC /kəmˈpaʊnd/ verb [transitive]1. to make a difficult situation worse by adding more problems
    compound a problem/difficulty etc
    Helmut’s problems were compounded by his lack of concentration.
2. British English to make a bad action worse by doing more bad things
    compound a crime/an offence etc
    He compounded the offence by calling his opponents liars.
3. be compounded of something formal to be a mixture of things:
    a smell compounded of dust and dead flowers
4. American English to pay interest that is calculated on both the sum of money and the interest:
    Interest is compounded quarterly.

III

com‧pound³ AC /ˈkɒmpaʊnd $ ˈkɑːm-/ adjective technical1. compound eye/leaf etc a single eye, leaf etc that is made up of two or more parts ⇨ simple
2. compound noun/adjective etc a noun, adjective etc that is made up of two or more words. For example, ‘ice cream’ is a compound noun.
3. compound sentence a sentence that has two or more main parts ⇨ complex sentence