English
compost
Compost comes from Old Northern French compost ‘a mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for…’, from Latin compositus ‘composed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘put’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompōnōas componere‘to arrange, compile, compose, make up, organize, order’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompositus‘composed’
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400compost‘a mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land, also a condiment’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱey-‘to cultivate’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*tḱinétireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sinō‘to put in place’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*pozinōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEpōnō‘put’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompōnōas componere‘to arrange, compile, compose, make up, organize, order’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEcompositus‘composed’
- Old Northern Frenchc. 842–1400compost‘a mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land, also a condiment’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500same form
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602same form
Earliest quotation: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “And do not spread the compost on the weeds…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- ‘to cultivate’
suppose, homeless, hamlet, bohemian, impose, homely, hame, 54 more
through Proto-Indo-European *tḱinéti
prepositional, apposite, 42 more
through Proto-Italic *sinō ‘to put in place’
site, situation, situate, supposition, preposition, positivism, situs, 44 more
through Proto-Italic *pozinō
opposition, proposition, exposition, deposition, disposition, imposition, suppository, presupposition, 27 more
through Latin pōnō ‘put’
position, positive, purpose, opposite, opponent, propose, expose, consolation, dispose, repository, posture, proponent, exponent, expound, posit, pone, presuppose, impost, 53 more
Today it means
noun The decayed remains of organic matter that has rotted into a natural fertilizer.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *tḱey- / compost