composition

American  

[kom-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌkɒm pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

1. the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole.

2. the resulting state or product.

3. manner of being composed; structure.

   This painting has an orderly composition.

4. makeup; constitution.

   His moral composition was impeccable.

5. an aggregate material formed from two or more substances.

   a composition of silver and tin.

6. a short essay written as a school exercise.

7. the act or process of producing a literary work.

8. an academic course for teaching the techniques of clear, expository writing.

9. the art of putting words and sentences together in accordance with the rules of grammar and rhetoric.

10. a piece of music.

11. the art of composing music.

12. Fine Arts. the organization or grouping of the different parts of a work of art so as to achieve a unified whole.

13. Grammar. the formation of compounds or derivatives.

    the composition of “aircraft” from “air” and “craft.”

14. a settlement by mutual agreement.

15. an agreement or compromise, especially one by which a creditor or group of creditors accepts partial payment from a debtor.

16. a sum of money so paid.

17. Printing.

    1. the setting up of type for printing.

    2. Also called pagination.  the makeup of pages for printing.

18. Mathematics. the process of making a composite function of two given functions.

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composition British  

/ ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of putting together or making up by combining parts or ingredients

2. something formed in this manner or the resulting state or quality; a mixture

3. the parts of which something is composed or made up; constitution

4. a work of music, art, or literature

5. the harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole

6. a piece of writing undertaken as an academic exercise in grammatically acceptable writing; an essay

7. printing the act or technique of setting up type

8. linguistics the formation of compound words

9. logic the fallacy of inferring that the properties of the part are also true of the whole, as every member of the team has won a prize, so the team will win a prize

10. 1. a settlement by mutual consent, esp a legal agreement whereby the creditors agree to accept partial payment of a debt in full settlement

    2. the sum so agreed

11. chem the nature and proportions of the elements comprising a chemical compound

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Other Word Forms

• compositional adjective
• compositionally adverb
• compositive adjective
• compositively adverb

Etymology

Origin of composition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English composicioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin compositiōn-, stem of compositiō “arrangement, placement together”; equivalent to composite + -ion

Example Sentences

Previous studies have found correlations between conditions such as autism and differences in gut microbiome composition.

From Science Daily

Despite this built-in vulnerability, the plastic's overall chemical composition remains unchanged.

From Science Daily

She’s more interested in tone than in color, but she has a notable sense of sturdy composition.

From The Wall Street Journal

Inspired choices in composition heighten the sense of drama.

From The Wall Street Journal

Unlike Hubble, NIRCam can capture detailed color information that helps scientists determine the size and composition of dust grains, including whether they contain water or ice.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• architecture
• balance
• beauty
• configuration
• content
• design
• distribution
• formation
• harmony
• layout
• rhythm
• style