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composition

[kom-puh-zish-uh n]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR composition ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

the resulting state or product.

manner of being composed; structure: This painting has an orderly composition.

makeup; constitution: His moral composition was impeccable.

an aggregate material formed from two or more substances: a composition of silver and tin.

a short essay written as a school exercise.

the act or process of producing a literary work.

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

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

a piece of music.

the art of composing music.

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

Grammar. the formation of compounds or derivatives: the composition of “aircraft” from “air” and “craft.”

a settlement by mutual agreement.

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

a sum of money so paid.

Printing.

the setting up of type for printing.
Also called pagination.the makeup of pages for printing.

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

Origin of composition

1350–1400; Middle English composicioun < Anglo-French < Latin compositiōn- (stem of compositiō), equivalent to composit(us) (see composite) + -iōn- -ion

Related formscom·po·si·tion·al, adjectivecom·po·si·tion·al·ly, adverbcom·pos·i·tive

[kuh m-poz-i-tiv] /kəmˈpɒz ɪ tɪv/, adjectivecom·pos·i·tive·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for composition

style, balance, layout, beauty, content, formation, architecture, rhythm, design, distribution, configuration, harmony, setup, poetry, writing, drama, theme, symphony, music, arrangement

Examples from the Web for composition

Contemporary Examples of composition

John Luther Adams lives up to the title of his composition, capturing an oceanic torrent of sound in an awe-inspiring performance.
The Best Albums of 2014
Ted Gioia
December 13, 2014
He described in painful detail the composition of the bars and the heavy shackles on the pad locks.
I Shot Bin Laden
Elliot Ackerman
November 16, 2014
He approaches the composition of a painting rather as a theatrical director might set the scene of a play.
The Stacks: Edward Hopper’s X-Ray Vision
Hilton Kramer
October 25, 2014
However, its composition and interior are very different than the Moon.
A Cloud Forms Over Saturn’s Mysterious Moon
Matthew R. Francis
August 17, 2014
Tupac himself ventured a rather eloquent answer in his composition, “Me Against the World.”
Broadway Was Made for Tupac
Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Marcyliena Morgan
July 7, 2014

Historical Examples of composition

Handel, in one species of composition, wrote down to the singers of his time.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. 327
Various
My hunger I could never satisfy with any amount of composition or extemporization of my own.
Weighed and Wanting
George MacDonald
It is an inordinate paragraph, outraging all known rules of composition!
De Libris: Prose and Verse
Austin Dobson
(a) How does the composition of poultry compare with that of meat?
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
The composition of poultry is very similar to that of meats.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for composition

composition

noun

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

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

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

a work of music, art, or literature

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

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

printing the act or technique of setting up type

linguistics the formation of compound words

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

a settlement by mutual consent, esp a legal agreement whereby the creditors agree to accept partial payment of a debt in full settlement
the sum so agreed

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

Derived Formscompositional, adjective

Word Origin for composition

C14: from Old French, from Latin compositus; see composite, -ion

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 composition

n.

late 14c., "action of combining," also "manner in which a thing is composed," from Old French composicion (13c., Modern French composition) "composition, make-up, literary work, agreement, settlement," from Latin compositionem (nominative compositio) "a putting together, connecting, arranging," noun of action from past participle stem of componere (see composite). Meaning "art of constructing sentences" is from 1550s; that of "literary production" (often also "writing exercise for students") is from c.1600. Printing sense is 1832; meaning "arrangement of parts in a picture" is from 1706.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper