Compost
late Middle English: from Old French composte, from Latin composita, compositum ‘something put together’, feminine and neuter past participle of componere .
wiktionary
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.
etymonline
compost (n.)
late 14c., compote, "mixture of stewed fruits, a preserve," from Old French composte "mixture of leaves, manure, etc., for fertilizing land" (13c.), also "condiment," from Vulgar Latin *composita, noun use of fem. of Latin compositus, past participle of componere "to put together," from com "with, together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (see position (n.)).
The fertilizer sense is attested in English from 1580s, and the French word in this sense is a 19th century borrowing from English. The condiment sense now goes with compote, a later borrowing from French.
compost (v.)
late 15c., "to manure with compost;" 1829, "to make into compost;" from compost (n.). Related: Composted; composting.
