composite

[ kuhm-poz-it ]

/ kəmˈpɒz ɪt /

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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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM composite

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

Words nearby composite

compose, composed, composer, composing room, composing stick, composite, composite colour signal, composite family, composite flap, composite function, composite graft

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use composite in a sentence

The composite image, created by stacking together multiple photos that had been taken while the embryo was in motion, documents stages of the embryo’s development from left to right.
A glowing zebrafish wins the 2020 Nikon Small World photography contest|Erin Garcia de Jesus|October 13, 2020|Science News
The planters appear to look like heavy stone or concrete, but the material is actually a composite of recycled plastic and powdered stone.
These hanging planters bring life to your space|PopSci Commerce Team|October 8, 2020|Popular-Science
This style utilizes a flexible TR90 material that can bend under pressure without breaking, and the composite lenses feature UV400 protection, so they’re ideal for travel.
Clothing and accessories that make great gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science
The Nasdaq composite had already returned to a record, thanks to huge gains for the big tech stocks that dominate it.
S&P 500 hits a new record, erasing last of pandemic losses|Verne Kopytoff|August 18, 2020|Fortune

D’Arcy notes that the team is already working on ways to turn their nanofibers into composite materials containing other semiconductors, which they hope will boost capacity by a factor of ten.
Scientists Found a Way to Turn Bricks Into Batteries|Edd Gent|August 17, 2020|Singularity Hub
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
He seemed to pass under the mastery of a great mood that was a composite reproduction of all the moods of his forgotten boyhood.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
Christianity seems to be a composite religion, made up of fragments of religions of far greater antiquity.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Pandans have a composite fruit made up of smaller fruits called drupes.
Philippine Mats|Hugo H. Miller
Not even a fair, honest, every-day portrait of my father's and mother's composite features—but a picture of myself!
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
Of certain features of existing places I have made a composite, which is the "Mushroom Town" of this book.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions

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 forms of composite

compositely, 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

composite

Origin of composite

OTHER WORDS FROM composite

Words nearby composite

Words related to composite

How to use composite in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for composite

Derived forms of composite

Word Origin for composite