Legal Definitions - compound

Definition: To put things together, calculate interest on both the original amount and the interest earned, settle a debt by paying money instead of facing other consequences, or make a crime worse by doing something else bad.

Examples:

• She compounded the ingredients to make a cake.
• The bank compounded the interest on my savings account.
• He compounded his debt by agreeing to pay a large sum of money.
• The criminal compounded his felony by trying to bribe the witness.

These examples show how "compound" can be used in different ways. In the first example, "compound" means to put things together. In the second example, it means to calculate interest on both the original amount and the interest earned. In the third example, it means to settle a debt by paying money instead of facing other consequences. In the fourth example, it means to make a crime worse by trying to bribe a witness.