composite

[ kuhm-poz-it ]

adjective

1. made up of disparate or separate parts or elements; compound:

   a composite drawing; a composite philosophy.

2. Botany. belonging to the Compositae. Compare composite family.
3. (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 ).
4. Rocketry.
   1. (of a rocket or missile) having more than one stage.
   2. (of a solid propellant) made up of a mixture of fuel and oxidizer.
5. 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.
6. Mathematics. of or relating to a composite function or a composite number.

noun

1. something composite; a compound.
2. Botany. a composite plant.
3. a picture, photograph, or the like, that combines several separate pictures.

verb (used with object)

, com·pos·it·ed, com·pos·it·ing.

1. to make a composite of.

composite

/ ˈkɒmpəzɪt /

adjective

1. composed of separate parts; compound
2. of, relating to, or belonging to the plant family Asteraceae
3. maths capable of being factorized or decomposed

   a composite function

4. sometimes capital denoting or relating to one of the five classical orders of architecture: characterized by a combination of the Ionic and Corinthian styles See also Doric Tuscan

noun

1. something composed of separate parts; compound
2. 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)
3. a material, such as reinforced concrete, made of two or more distinct materials
4. a proposal that has been composited

verb

1. 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

• ˈcompositely, adverb
• ˈcompositeness, noun

Other Words From

• com·posite·ly adverb
• com·posite·ness noun
• hyper·com·posite adjective
• noncom·posite adjective noun
• noncom·posite·ly adverb
• noncom·posite·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of composite¹

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin compositus (past participle of compōnere to put together), equivalent to com- com- + positus placed; posit

Word History and Origins

Origin of composite¹

C16: from Latin compositus well arranged, from compōnere to collect, arrange; see component

Example Sentences

He had a striking resemblance to the composite sketch the 12-year-old witnesses had helped create.

From Los Angeles Times

As Benson points out, “The family Steinbeck was writing about was actually a composite of several families he had encountered in visiting one squatters’ camp after another.”

From Salon

His composite shows the phases of Venus, using ultra-violet and infrared filters that reveal the cloud structure within the upper atmosphere of the planet.

From BBC

Technology stocks have been hit particularly hard lately: The Nasdaq composite was, for a moment on Monday, down more than 10% since the middle of last week, entering into what economists euphemistically call “correction” territory.

From Los Angeles Times

The Nasdaq composite rallied even more, 2%, to set its own all-time high.

From Seattle Times