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compound
This word carries a strong sense of accumulation and layering. When used in a negative sense, it suggests a snowball effect where a small mistake grows into a disaster because new errors are piled on top of the original one. It evokes a feeling of increasing pressure or complexity. In a structural or chemical sense, it implies a permanent bond rather than a temporary mixture. It suggests that the individual parts have merged to create a new entity with properties different from its original components.
Countable when referring to a fenced area of land or a specific chemical substance. Uncountable when referring to the general process of mixing or the state of being combined.
Meanings
An enclosed area containing a group of buildings.
"the embassy compound"
To make a bad situation worse by adding more problems.
"compounding the problem"
To combine two or more elements to form a whole.
"compounding the ingredients"
Consisting of two or more parts.
"a compound sentence"