According to Strunk and White, Elements of Style, fourth ed., compound words
are usually hyphenated when used as adjectives:

"The breast-feeding mother nursed her baby."

"He belonged to the leisure class and enjoyed leisure-class pursuits."

"The latest trends in health care enlist the help of many different
health-care professionals."

S&W does go on to say that most words undergo a steady evolution toward union:

what began as "wild life" became "wild-life" until it was simplified to
"wildlife."  You get the idea.  :-)

Theresa Chmiel
writer in a previous life...

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