noun
compost
KOM-post
noun
1
Decayed organic matter, such as food scraps and garden waste, used to enrich soil.
"We add kitchen scraps to the compost every week."
verb
1
To turn organic waste into fertilizer by letting it decompose.
"They compost all their vegetable peelings instead of throwing them away."
How to Use Compost
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishRotted plant and food waste used to feed soil, or the act of making it.
Common pairings
compost heap
compost bin
garden compost
Word Forms
composted past tense, composts plural, composts singular
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We add kitchen scraps to the _____ every week.
Etymology
From Old Northern French compost, "a mixture of leaves, manure, and the like for fertilizing land," ultimately from Latin compositus, "put together." A doublet of "compote" and "composite."