Which of these is considered compound and why:

Question

In my grammar book they say"compounds have internal structure. This is clear from the ambiguity of a compound like top+hat+rack, which can mean "a rack for top hats" or "the highest hat rack" . now in what of these meaning this phrase will be considered compound? in the first, the second or both? and why to consider any of these meanings compound since one can get the meaning with the words individually?

Answer 1

First we need to agree on a definition of what is a compound noun. Here is a grammar article discussing what is a compound noun.

Since my dictionary says hat rack (and similarly coat rack) can be written as hatrack or hat rack we can agree by the definitions given in the article that either spelling (one word or two) can be considered a compound noun. [tie rack, clothes rack, drying rack, etc. seem to be two words and may or may not be compound nouns so there is no hard and fast rules for defining compound nouns]

My answer would be that either possibility [top hat rack] involves a compound noun. The possibility of the highest hat rack, (top hat rack) involves the compound noun hat rack.

The other possibility (top hat rack) involves the compound noun top hat. (rack of top hats)

I am assuming that hat rack and top hat are compound nouns since they are listed in my dictionary and given a definition. Clothes rack, however, is not, so I would assume that is not a compound noun.

and why to consider any of these meanings compound since one can get the meaning with the words individually?

I think that you answered that yourself in your previous thread. Sometimes compound words are idiomatic and sometimes they are not.

coat/hat rack [stand]

top hat