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

Derived Forms

• ˌcompoˈsitional, adjective

Other Words From

• compo·sition·al adjective
• compo·sition·al·ly adverb
• com·pos·i·tive [k, uh, m-, poz, -i-tiv], adjective
• com·posi·tive·ly 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

One of Wise’s most stunning compositions, “Forest Interlude,” began as an attempt to recreate the hypnotic synthesizer sounds of Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer.”

From New York Times

Leonardo had done such sorts of composition before, most notably in the exquisite “Lady With an Ermine,” a portrait of the Duke of Milan’s beautiful 16-year-old mistress.

From Los Angeles Times

However, there is limited statistical data on the composition, abundance, and distribution of the fisheries' resources, which is crucial for effective management.

From Science Daily

This is because AI is able to quickly create new compositions by learning from existing music.

From BBC

A few years back he started singing words and phrases in his car at night, then had them sampled, looped and chopped up to form compositions.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arrangement
• concerto
• drama
• melody
• music
• piece
• poetry
• setup
• symphony
• theme
• tune
• writing