thermal paste
compound.compound. a sticky substance you put between a computer chip and its cooling part. It helps heat move away from the chip so the computer does not get too hot.
compound. a thermally conductive chemical compound used as an interface between heat sinks and heat sources such as central processing units. It fills microscopic air gaps to maximise heat transfer and prevent hardware overheating.
You must apply fresh thermal paste before installing the new processor.
If your laptop fan is constantly loud and the system feels hot, you might need to replace the old thermal paste on the CPU.
Applying too much thermal paste can be just as detrimental as applying too little, as an excessive layer may act as an insulator rather than a conductor of heat.
A compound formation of the adjective thermal, derived from the Ancient Greek thermē meaning heat, and the noun paste, from the Late Latin pasta. The term emerged as a functional description for heat-conductive substances as solid-state electronics required more sophisticated cooling methods.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Commonly used with the verbs 'apply', 'spread', or 're-apply'.
Last updated July 22, 2026