Composted

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of recycling biodegradable materials through natural decomposition to enrich soil with nutrients
2. The transformation of decomposed organic materials into a beneficial soil enhancer that supports plant growth
3. The act of breaking down organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendment involves natural decay and composition processes

Etymology: The verb "composted" is simply the past tense and past participle of "compost," so the story belongs to the noun. It arrives in Middle English from Old Northern French, where "compost" meant a mixture of leaves, manure and other material used to fertilize land. Its ancestor is the Latin "compositus," "composed" or "put together," from the verb "componere," which is also the source of "composite." The surprising link is with "compote." The two words are doublets, meaning they descend from the same Latin root but reached English by different routes. Where "compost" stayed with the idea of a mixed heap of ingredients for the soil, "compote" came through modern French to mean fruit stewed in syrup. A word for dirt and a word for dessert share a single ancestor, both built on the notion of things placed together.

Synonyms: decomposed, fertilized