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Glite Dictionary
spackling compound

spackling compound

6.5
A paste used to fill cracks and holes in walls before painting
  • noun
  • /ˈspækəlɪŋ ˈkəmˌpaʊnd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : masilla
  • To repair the wall, she used a spackling compound to fill the large cracks before painting.

Examples

  • No, no, this is, I can see this is like spackling compound over foam and a tremendous amount of tape.

  • There's a bathroom spackling compound in here, Mayonnaise.

  • The contractor recommended a high-quality spackling compound for smoothing out the joints in the drywall.

  • After sanding the surface, he applied a thin layer of spackling compound to achieve a smooth finish.

Synonyms

spackle
vsspackling compound
  • Specialized
7 8.0

A soft paste used to fill small holes and cracks in walls before painting

is the same material but named with a different common term

Surface Forms

spackling compound singular
spackling compounds plural

Morphology

spackle + compound

The noun is compositionally built from 'spackling' (from spackle, meaning to fill cracks with paste) + 'compound' (a substance), so its meaning ‘a material/substance used for spackling’ is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a regular adjective/participle + noun pattern and aligns with common cross‑linguistic ways of naming materials, making it predictable for a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Spackling compound comes from the action spackling, which is spreading a soft mix over a hole, and compound meaning 'a mix'. So the image of someone spreading paste into a crack explains why the phrase means 'a mixed paste used to fill or repair holes in walls'.