compose

See also: composé

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French composer (“to compose, compound, adjust, settle”), from com- + poser, as an adaptation of Latin componere (“to put together, compose”), from com- (“together”) + ponere (“to put, place”)

Pronunciation

• (General American) enPR: kəm-pōzʹ, IPA^(key): /kəmˈpoʊz/
• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: kəm-pōzʹ, IPA^(key): /kəmˈpəʊz/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊz

Verb

compose (third-person singular simple present composes, present participle composing, simple past and past participle composed)

1. (transitive) To make something by merging parts. [from later 15th c.]

   The editor composed a historical journal from many individual letters.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Bishop Sprat

     Zeal ought to be composed of the highest degrees of all pious affection.

2. (transitive) To make up the whole; to constitute.

   A church is composed of its members.

   • (Can we date this quote?) I. Watts

     A few useful things […] compose their intellectual possessions.

3. (transitive, nonstandard) To comprise.
4. (transitive or intransitive) To construct by mental labor; to think up; particularly, to produce or create a literary or musical work.

   The orator composed his speech over the week prior.

   Nine numbered symphonies, including the Fifth, were composed by Beethoven.

   It's difficult to compose without absolute silence.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Alexander Pope

     Let me compose / Something in verse as well as prose.

   • (Can we date this quote?) B. R. Haydon

     the genius that composed such works as the "Standard" and "Last Supper"

5. (sometimes reflexive) To calm; to free from agitation.

   Try to compose your thoughts.

   The defendant couldn't compose herself and was found in contempt.

   • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

     Compose thy mind; / Nor frauds are here contrived, nor force designed.

6. To arrange the elements of a photograph or other picture.
7. To settle (an argument, dispute etc.); to come to a settlement.
   • 2010, Christopher Hitchens, Hitch-22, Atlantic 2011, p. 280:

     By trying his best to compose matters with the mullahs, he had sincerely shown that he did not seek a violent collision […]

8. To arrange in proper form; to reduce to order; to put in proper state or condition.
   • (Can we date this quote?) Dryden

     In a peaceful grave my corpse compose.

   • (Can we date this quote?) John Milton

     How in safety best we may / Compose our present evils.

9. (printing, dated) To arrange (types) in a composing stick for printing; to typeset.

Synonyms

• (make up the whole): constitute, form; see also Thesaurus:compose

Derived terms

• composer
• composing stick
• composite
• composition
• compositor
• composure
• decompose
• discompose

 

Related terms

► English terms derived from the PIE root *tḱey-‎ (0 c, 14 e)

Translations

to make something by merging parts

• Bulgarian: съставям (bg) (sǎstavjam)
• Catalan: compondre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 創作 (zh), 创作 (zh) (chuàngzuò) (create), 整理 (zh) (zhěnglǐ) (arrange), 作曲 (zh) (zuòqǔ) (write music), 編寫 (zh), 编写 (zh) (biānxiě) (write)

• Czech: sestavit pf
• Dutch: samenstellen (nl)
• Estonian: koostama
• Finnish: koota (fi), koostaa (fi)
• French: composer (fr)

• Galician: compor (gl)
• German: zusammenstellen (de), zusammensetzen (de)
• Greek: συνθέτω (el) (synthéto)

  Ancient: συντάσσω (suntássō)

• Latin: compingō
• Portuguese: compor (pt), montar (pt)
• Romanian: compune (ro)
• Russian: составля́ть (ru) impf (sostavljátʹ), соста́вить (ru) pf (sostávitʹ), собира́ть (ru) impf (sobirátʹ), соста́вить (ru) pf (sostávitʹ)
• Spanish: componer (es)
• Tagalog: bumuo

to make up the whole; to constitute

• Bulgarian: образувам (bg) (obrazuvam), съставям се от (sǎstavjam se ot)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 組成 (zh), 组成 (zh) (zǔchéng), 構成 (zh), 构成 (zh) (gòuchéng)

• Czech: dát dohromady pf
• Dutch: vormen (nl)
• Estonian: moodustama
• Finnish: muodostaa (fi)

• French: composer (fr)
• Greek: συνθέτω (el) (synthéto), απαρτίζω (el) (apartízo)
• Portuguese: compor (pt), constituir (pt)
• Romanian: compune (ro)
• Russian: составля́ть (ru) impf (sostavljátʹ), соста́вить (ru) pf (sostávitʹ), состоя́ть (ru) impf (sostojátʹ)
• Spanish: constituir (es), conformar (es)

to comprise

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 組成 (zh), 组成 (zh) (zǔchéng), 構成 (zh), 构成 (zh) (gòuchéng)

• Czech: obsahovat (cs) impf, obsáhnout pf
• Dutch: omvatten (nl)
• Estonian: sisaldama (et)

• Finnish: käsittää (fi), muodostaa (fi)
• German: enthalten (de), umfasst (de), einschliessen (de)
• Greek: συμπεριλαμβάνω (el) (symperilamváno), περιέχω (el) (periécho), περιλαμβάνω (el) (perilamváno)
• Portuguese: compor (pt) (usage: compor-se de)
• Spanish: constar (es) (de), componerse (es) (de)

to construct by mental labor; to think up

• Arabic: أَلَّفَ‎ (ʾallafa)
• Bulgarian: съчинявам (bg) (sǎčinjavam), творя (bg) (tvorja)
• Catalan: compondre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 創作 (zh), 创作 (zh) (chuàngzuò) (create), 整理 (zh) (zhěnglǐ) (arrange), 作曲 (zh) (zuòqǔ) (write music), 編寫 (zh), 编写 (zh) (biānxiě) (write)

• Czech: (music) složit (cs), vytvořit (cs) pf
• Dutch: (notably music) componeren (nl), redigeren (nl)
• Estonian: looma

• Finnish: luoda (fi), (music) säveltää (fi)
• French: composer (fr)
• German: abfassen (de), verfassen (de), komponieren (de)
• Greek: συνθέτω (el) (synthéto)
• Hebrew: חיבר‎ (khibér) (literary work), הלחין‎ (hilkhín) (music)
• Irish: cum
• Portuguese: compor (pt)
• Russian: сочиня́ть (ru) impf (sočinjátʹ), сочини́ть (ru) pf (sočinítʹ), писа́ть (ru) impf (pisátʹ), написа́ть (ru) pf (napisátʹ)
• Spanish: componer (es)
• Vietnamese: soạn thảo (vi), biên soạn, soạn (vi)

to calm oneself down

• Bulgarian: успокоявам (bg) (uspokojavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鎮靜 (zh), 镇静 (zh) (zhènjìng), 平靜 (zh), 平静 (zh) (píngjìng)

• Czech: uklidnit se pf, zklidnit se pf
• Dutch: bedaren (nl)
• Estonian: rahunema

• Finnish: rauhoittua (fi)
• German: sich fassen (de), sich beruhigen (de)
• Greek: ηρεμώ (el) (iremó), συνέρχομαι (el) (synérchomai)
• Hungarian: lecsillapodik (hu)
• Portuguese: recompor-se
• Russian: собира́ться (ru) impf (sobirátʹsja), собра́ться (ru) pf (sobrátʹsja)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

to arrange the elements of a picture

• Bulgarian: композирам (bg) (kompoziram)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 構圖 (zh), 构图 (zh) (gòutú)

• Czech: sestavit pf, naaranžovat pf
• Dutch: composeren

• Finnish: sommitella (fi)
• German: zusammenstellen (de), bilden (de)
• Portuguese: compor (pt)
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} komponi
• French: ^{(please verify)} composer (fr)
• German: ^{(please verify)} bestehen (de)
• Icelandic: ^{(please verify)} semja (is)

• Italian: ^{(please verify)} comporre (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 構成する
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} componer (es)

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French

Verb

compose

1. first-person singular present indicative of composer
2. third-person singular present indicative of composer
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of composer
4. third-person singular present subjunctive of composer
5. second-person singular imperative of composer

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Italian

Verb

compose

1. third-person singular past historic of comporre