Compounding

How to spell compounding

11 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce compounding

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does compounding mean?

1. verbMaking a difficulty or situation greater by adding a further problem to it.
2. verbCalculating interest on both the original sum and the interest already added, so growth builds on itself.
3. verbPutting two or more ingredients or elements together to form a single mixture.

Compounding in a sentence

• The late delivery was compounding an already stressful week at work.

• The account grows faster because the interest keeps compounding each month.

• The pharmacist was compounding the cream from several separate ingredients.

• By ignoring the warning lights, she was compounding the damage to the engine.

• The adviser explained how compounding returns can double an investment over time.

• The factory specialises in compounding rubber for industrial seals.

Where does compounding come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb componere, meaning 'to put together' or 'to arrange', formed from com- 'together' and ponere 'to put or place'. It passed into Old French as compondre and entered English in the 1300s as 'compoune', meaning to combine or mix ingredients into a whole. The final 'd' attached itself later, partly by analogy with past forms and partly to make the word feel more finished, which is why we now write 'compound' rather than 'compoun'. The same ponere root sits inside a whole family of English words such as 'component', 'compose' and 'opponent', all carrying the idea of putting or placing. From the literal sense of mixing things came the financial sense of value building on itself and the everyday sense of one problem adding to another; the -ing form simply turns that action into an ongoing process.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• -pound- (from Latin ponere: to put, place)
• -ing (present participle / gerund)