compost
/ˈkɑm.poʊst/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.21 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
Countable; Uncountable
verb
To produce compost, let organic matter decay into fertilizer.
Example Sentences
- "Dig plenty of compost into clay or sandy soil to improve its structure."
- "And do not spread the compost on the weeds / To make them ranker."
- "[T]he very wet winter will have washed much of the goodness out of the soil. Homemade compost and the load of manure we get from a friendly farmer may not be enough to compensate for what has leached from the ground."
- "Once the seed tray is filled with compost, insert the seeds spaced 3 cm apart from one another."
- "[T]he term 'compost' is commonly used to mean the material used to fill pots, seed trays and containers."
- "A sad compost of more bitter than sweet."
Etymology
From Middle English compost, from Old Northern French compost (“a mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land, also a condiment”), from Latin compositus (“composed”), from componere. Doublet of compote, which was taken from modern French, composite, and kompot.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: compost, compositus
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɑm.poʊst/
- British English: /ˈkɒm.pɒst/
Usage
- Countable
- Uncountable
- British usage
- Obsolete