composite

[ kuh m-poz-it ]

/ kəmˈpɒz ɪt /

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.

Nearby words

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 forms

com·pos·ite·ly, adverbcom·pos·ite·ness, nounhy·per·com·pos·ite, adjectivenon·com·pos·ite, adjective, noun

non·com·pos·ite·ly, adverbnon·com·pos·ite·ness, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
Another folding-over and passing-on game is "Composite Stories."
What Shall We Do Now?: Five Hundred Games and Pastimes|Dorothy Canfield Fisher
The reader is aware that there are prime numbers and composite whole numbers.
The Canterbury Puzzles|Henry Ernest Dudeney
The improved forms of the composite bow are only found on the Asiatic continent.
The Races of Man|Joseph Deniker
Matthew is not only in its whole structure a composite gospel, but shows in high degree the catholicizing tendency of the times.
The Making of the New Testament|Benjamin W. Bacon
Composite photograph of twenty criminals—dullards—in the Elmira Reformatory.
The Criminal|Havelock Ellis

British Dictionary definitions for composite

composite

/ (ˈkɒmpəzɪt) /

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

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.

composite

adjective

noun

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

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Nearby words

Origin of composite

Examples from the Web for composite

composite

adjective

noun

verb (ˈkɒmpəˌzaɪt)

Word Origin for composite

composite