composite

[kuh m-poz-it]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR composite ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

made up of disparate or separate parts or elements; compound: a composite drawing; a composite philosophy.

Botany. belonging to the Compositae.Compare composite family.

(initial capital letter) Architecture. noting or pertaining to one of the five classical orders, popular especially since the beginning of the Renaissance but invented by the ancient Romans, in which the Roman Ionic and Corinthian orders are combined, so that four diagonally set Ionic volutes, variously ornamented, rest upon a bell of Corinthian acanthus leaves.Compare Corinthian(def 2), Doric(def 3), Ionic(def 1), Tuscan(def 2).

Rocketry.

(of a rocket or missile) having more than one stage.
(of a solid propellant) made up of a mixture of fuel and oxidizer.

Nautical. noting a vessel having frames of one material and shells and decking of another, especially one having iron or steel frames with shells and decks planked.

Mathematics. of or relating to a composite function or a composite number.

noun

something composite; a compound.

Botany. a composite plant.

a picture, photograph, or the like, that combines several separate pictures.

verb (used with object), com·pos·it·ed, com·pos·it·ing.

to make a composite of.

Origin of composite

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French) < Latin compositus (past participle of compōnere to put together), equivalent to com- com- + positus placed; see posit

Related formscom·pos·ite·ly, adverbcom·pos·ite·ness, nounhy·per·com·pos·ite, adjectivenon·com·pos·ite, adjective, nounnon·com·pos·ite·ly, adverbnon·com·pos·ite·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for composite

conglomerate, complex, compound, medley, commixture, amalgamation, union, compost, mix, fusion, stew, blend, synthesis, amalgam, combo, intermixture, olio, immixture

Examples from the Web for composite

Contemporary Examples of composite

The composite photo whose eyes follow you around the room are less Matthew Lewis or Sheridan Le Fanu than “Scooby-Doo.”
An Ivy League Frat Boy’s Shallow Repentance
Stefan Beck
November 24, 2014
It is adopting technology—in rocket propulsion, composite construction, and aerodynamic refinements—already in use elsewhere.
Can Anyone Make Space Safe for Civilians?
Clive Irving
November 4, 2014
Wolf says he wanted to “create a composite portrait of the teenager that was about to be born.”
Who Invented the ‘Teenager’?
Nina Strochlic
March 14, 2014
But we did have to compress time, and we did have to composite some of the characters.
Grant Heslov Is the Robin to George Clooney’s Batman
Andrew Romano
February 7, 2014
Chavez was reluctant to discuss an active investigation, so he told me an intricate story that is a composite of real meth cases.
The Devil’s Drug: The True Story of Meth in New Mexico
Nick Romeo
August 24, 2013

Historical Examples of composite

In that matter I would not trust myself; why, then, should I trust the composite Democrat?
'Tis Sixty Years Since
Charles Francis Adams
This composite body of troops has been called Geddes's Detachment.
The Story of the Great War, Volume III (of VIII)
Various
It was of a composite architecture, between the Morisco and the Spanish.
The Pirate and The Three Cutters
Frederick Marryat
The composite animal in Book IX is an allegory of the parts of the soul.
The Republic
Plato
And let the figure be composite—a pair of winged horses and a charioteer.
Phaedrus
Plato

British Dictionary definitions for composite

composite

adjective

composed of separate parts; compound

of, relating to, or belonging to the plant family Asteraceae

maths capable of being factorized or decomposeda composite function

(sometimes capital) denoting or relating to one of the five classical orders of architecture: characterized by a combination of the Ionic and Corinthian stylesSee also Doric, Tuscan

noun

something composed of separate parts; compound

any plant of the family Asteraceae (formerly Compositae), typically having flower heads composed of ray flowers (e.g. dandelion), disc flowers (e.g. thistle), or both (e.g. daisy)

a material, such as reinforced concrete, made of two or more distinct materials

a proposal that has been composited

verb (ˈkɒmpəˌzaɪt)

(tr) to merge related motions from local branches of (a political party, trade union, etc) so as to produce a manageable number of proposals for discussion at national level

Derived Formscompositely, adverbcompositeness, noun

Word Origin for composite

C16: from Latin compositus well arranged, from compōnere to collect, arrange; see component

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for composite

adj.

c.1400, from Old French composite, from Latin compositus "placed together," past participle of componere "to put together, to collect a whole from several parts," from com- "together" (see com-) + ponere "to place" (see position (n.)). The noun is attested from c.1400. Composite number is from 1730s.