compost

CEFRB2

/ˈkɒm.pɒst/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    Decayed plant and food material used to improve soil.

  2. 02

    verb

    To turn plant or food waste into compost.

Examples

  • It's important to get the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio right in a compost heap.

  • Spread compost on the garden beds before planting your seedlings.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
4

Also pronounced

  • /ˈkɑm.poʊst/
  • /ˈkɔːm.poːsʈ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A medium in which one can cultivate plants.

  2. A mixture; a compound.

  3. The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.

More examples

In context

  • Dig plenty of compost into clay or sandy soil to improve its structure.

  • If you compost your grass clippings, you can improve your soil.

  • Once the seed tray is filled with compost, insert the seeds spaced 3 cm apart from one another.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

She spread nutrient-rich blank over the garden soil to help the plants grow.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.