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[*] 264. A Compound Word is one whose stem is made up of two or more simple stems. [*] a. A final stem-vowel of the first member of the compound usually disappears before a vowel, and usually takes the form of i before a consonant. Only the second member receives inflection.1 [*] b. Only noun-stems can be thus compounded. A preposition, however, often becomes attached to a verb.
1 The second part generally has its usual inflection; but, as this kind of composition is in fact older than inflection, the compounded stem sometimes has an inflection of its own (as, cornicen, -cinis; lūcifer , -ferī; iūdex , -dicis), from stems not occurring in Latin. Especially do compound adjectives in Latin take the form of i-stems: as, animus, exanimis; nōrma, abnōrmis (see § 73). In composition, stems regularly have their uninflected form: as, īgni-spicium, divining by fire. But in o- and ā-stems the final vowel of the stem appears as i-, as in āli-pēs (from āla, stem ālā-); and i- is so common a termination of compounded stems, that it is often added to stems which do not properly have it: as, flōri-comus, flower-crowned (from flōs, flōr-is, and coma, hair).
Ginn and Company, 1903.
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