2. (Math.) The taking of a lesser number or quantity from a
greater of the same kind or denomination; an operation for
finding the difference between two numbers or quantities.
3. (Law) The withdrawing or withholding from a person of some
right to which he is entitled by law.
Note: Thus the subtraction of conjugal rights is when either
the husband or wife withdraws from the other and lives
separate without sufficient reason. The subtraction of
a legacy is the withholding or detailing of it from the
legatee by the executor. In like manner, the
withholding of any service, rent, duty, or custom, is a
subtraction, for which the law gives a remedy.
--Blackstone.
Compound substances are made up of two or more simple
substances. --I. Watts.
{Compound addition}, {subtraction}, {multiplication},
{division} (Arith.), the addition, subtraction, etc., of
compound numbers.
{Compound crystal} (Crystallog.), a twin crystal, or one
seeming to be made up of two or more crystals combined
according to regular laws of composition.
{Compound engine} (Mech.), a form of steam engine in which
the steam that has been used in a high-pressure cylinder
is made to do further service in a larger low-pressure
cylinder, sometimes in several larger cylinders,
successively.
{Compound ether}. (Chem.) See under {Ether}.
{Compound flower} (Bot.), a flower head resembling a single
flower, but really composed of several florets inclosed in
a common calyxlike involucre, as the sunflower or
dandelion.
{Compound fraction}. (Math.) See {Fraction}.
{Compound fracture}. See {Fracture}.
{Compound householder}, a householder who compounds or
arranges with his landlord that his rates shall be
included in his rents. [Eng.]
{Compound interest}. See {Interest}.
{Compound larceny}. (Law) See {Larceny}.
{Compound leaf} (Bot.), a leaf having two or more separate
blades or leaflets on a common leafstalk.
{Compound microscope}. See {Microscope}.
{Compound motion}. See {Motion}.
{Compound number} (Math.), one constructed according to a
varying scale of denomination; as, 3 cwt., 1 qr., 5 lb.;
-- called also {denominate number}.
{Compound pier} (Arch.), a clustered column.
{Compound quantity} (Alg.), a quantity composed of two or
more simple quantities or terms, connected by the sign +
(plus) or - (minus). Thus, a + b - c, and bb - b, are
compound quantities.
{Compound radical}. (Chem.) See {Radical}.
{Compound ratio} (Math.), the product of two or more ratios;
thus ab:cd is a ratio compounded of the simple ratios a:c
and b:d.
{Compound rest} (Mech.), the tool carriage of an engine
lathe.
{Compound screw} (Mech.), a screw having on the same axis two
or more screws with different pitch (a differential
screw), or running in different directions (a right and
left screw).
{Compound time} (Mus.), that in which two or more simple
measures are combined in one; as, 6-8 time is the joining
of two measures of 3-8 time.
{Compound word}, a word composed of two or more words;
specifically, two or more words joined together by a
hyphen.