Why is the light microscope called a compound microscope?

A simple microscope consists of only one lens, but a light microscope is made up of more than one lens. It consists of two lenses - an objective lens and an ocular lens. Thus, it consists of a compound system of lenses. That is why it is called the compound microscope. The primary lens is the objective lens because it gives the primary magnification. That magnification is multiplied or compounded by the ocular lens.