释义 |
com·pound I. \(ˈ)käm|pau̇nd, kəmˈp-\ verb (-ed/-ing/-s) Etymology: alteration of Middle English compounen, from Middle French compon-, stem of compondre to put together, arrange, from Latin componere, from com- + ponere to put, place — more at position transitive verb 1. : to put together (as elements, ingredients, or parts) to form a whole : combine, unite 2. a. : to form or make up (as a composite product) by combining different elements, ingredients, or parts < compound a medicine > < a philosophy compounded of affirmation, action, compassion, and universalism — Norman Cousins > b. obsolete : compose, create < compounded many hymns and psalms — Richard Montagu > 3. : to settle amicably : adjust by agreement : discharge (an obligation) upon terms different from those which were stipulated, claimed, or demanded (as when a smaller sum is accepted than was asked) : compromise 4. a. : to increase by geometric progression or by an increment that itself increases < interest is compounded quarterly > b. : to cause to multiply at a faster and faster rate c. : to add to : augment < we compounded our error in later policy — Robert Lekachman > < express roads and parkways … have compounded … parking problems immensely — Hal Burton > 5. : to forbear prosecution of (an offense) for a consideration < compound a felony > 6. : to wind the field magnets of (a dynamo) so as to make excitable by both a shunt and a series current 7. : to combine (as forces and velocities) into a single resultant intransitive verb 1. : to unite into or as if into a compound < his virtues and vices compounded into a contradictory personality no one could understand > 2. : to come to terms of agreement or payment : settle by a compromise : agree < compound with the enemy for peace > < no attempt to compound with God, to offer future good behavior in exchange for forgiveness — C.S.Forester > II. \(ˈ)käm|pau̇nd also kəmˈp-\ adjective Etymology: Middle English compouned, from past participle of compounen 1. a. : composed of or produced by the union of several elements, ingredients, parts, or things < a compound substance > b. : involving combination : composite < compound management > c. logic : consisting of several elements; specifically : having more than one proposition d. : having or consisting of two, three, or four groups of simple time units to the musical measure < 6/8 and 9/8 are compound rhythms > < compound time > e. botany : composed of two or more similar parts forming a common whole < a compound ovary > f. : composed of several joined individuals or elements 2. of an electrical machine : compound-wound 3. a. of a word (1) : being a compound (sense 1a) — compare complex (2) : being a compound (sense 1b) b. of a sentence : having more than one main clause < I told him to leave and he left is a compound sentence > — compare complex c. of a tense : formed by the use of an auxiliary verb < is going, are written, has seen, will arrive are compound tenses > — opposed to simple 4. of a fabric : having one or more extra warps or wefts or both III. \ˈkämˌpau̇nd\ noun (-s) 1. a. : a word consisting of components that are words (as rowboat, fireman, high school, devil-may-care, airtight, outrun, thereby, whereas, into) — compare complex b. : a word consisting of components that are words, are a word and a combining form (as centimeter), are a word and a noninflectional affix (as builder, reenter), are combining forms (as biology), or are a combining form and a noninflectional affix (as cephalad, chlorate) c. printing : a hyphened term 2. : something (as a substance, idea, creation) that is formed by a union of elements, ingredients, or parts < a poisonous compound > < a compound of Christian mysticism and Greek philosophy > < a compound of contradictions > a. : a chemically distinct substance formed by union of two or more ingredients (as elements) in definite proportion by weight and with definite structural arrangement < water is a compound of oxygen and hydrogen > < the benzene ring is characteristic of numerous complex organic compounds > — see addition compound, adsorption compound b. : a plastering base coat to which sand is added later on the job c. : a compound engine or compound locomotive d. : a system of gears on roving and spinning frames to keep yarn speed constant as bobbin circumference increases with the winding of added layers e. : a mental process (as a blend or pattern) in which different components can be distinguished 3. : composition < the peculiar compound of such material > IV. noun (-s) Etymology: by folk etymology (influence of compound) (III) from Malay kampung, kampong group, gathering, cluster of buildings, village 1. a. : a well-demarcated complex of European residences and commercial buildings (as warehouses and factories) especially in the East Indies, India, and China b. : an enclosure within which the laborers at So. African gold or diamond mines are confined c. : a large fenced or walled-in area (as in a prison, detention camp, or cattle yard) 2. Africa : inferior beef |