compost

Etymology

From Middle English compost, from Old Northern French compost (“mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land" also "condiment”), from Latin compositus (“composed”), from componere. Doublet of compote, which was taken from modern French, and composite.

noun

1. The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
   Dig plenty of compost into clay or sandy soil to improve its structure.
   [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. 21 April 2014, Mary Keen, “You can still teach an old gardener new tricks: Even the hardiest of us gardeners occasionally learn useful new techniques [print version: Gardening is always ready to teach even the hardiest of us a few new tricks, 19 April 2014]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Gardening), page G7
2. (UK) A medium in which one can cultivate plants.
   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. Royal Horticultural Society, Organic matter: what is it?, retrieved 2021-03-29
3. (obsolete) A mixture; a compound.
   A sad compost of more bitter than sweet. a. 1660, Henry Hammond, God's Complaint Against Revolters

verb

1. To produce compost, let organic matter decay into fertilizer.
   If you compost your grass clippings, you can improve your soil.