n. in linguistics, two or more words or other linguistic units combined into a single unit, as in a compound noun (e.g., bypass), a compound verb (e.g., shall go), or a compound sentence (e.g., John ate a sandwich, and Mary did too).
any situation, external or internal, that challenges the individual and produces stress (tension, anxiety, etc.) requiring adaptation by the ego. Ego stress is sometimes expressed as such defensive reactions as dissociation, somatization, or panic.