composition

[kom-puh-zish-uhn]

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.

composition

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of composition¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of composition¹

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

Example Sentences

Sparkz is making lithium-iron batteries that don’t use nickel and cobalt — a composition that has long been an industry darling but that depends on imported metals.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Titan is surrounded by a thick atmosphere composed mostly of nitrogen and methane, a composition that could resemble the atmosphere on Earth billions of years ago, before life emerged.

Read more on Science Daily

When the researchers compared their compositions to that of Earth, they noticed a peculiar "potassium isotopic anomaly."

Read more on Science Daily

Scientists now realize that the composition of the Sun's atmosphere changes over time, overturning decades of assumptions that it stayed constant.

Read more on Science Daily

Listening to these tracks is an unusual experience—half your mind is focused on the brilliance of these compositions, the other half can’t help compare them to the familiar takes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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