English edit

Etymology edit

dis- +‎ composure

Pronunciation edit

  • (file)

Noun edit

discomposure (countable and uncountable, plural discomposures)

  1. The state of being discomposed.
    • 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, [], London: [] W[illiam] Taylor [], →OCLC:
      And now it was that I began to keep a journal of every day's employment; for, indeed, at first I was in too much hurry, and not only hurry as to labour, but in too much discomposure of mind; and my journal would have been full of many dull things[.]
    • 1929, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, When the World Screamed[1]:
      "The real reason is that some small element of danger is involved in our experiment, though it is not sufficient to justify the discomposure which I see upon many of your faces."
  2. (obsolete) Discordance; disagreement of parts.
    • 1631, Francis [Bacon], “IX. Century.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. [], 3rd edition, London: [] William Rawley; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee [], →OCLC:
      But this is wrought by emission , or suppression , or suffocation , of the native spirits ; and also by the disordination and discomposure of the tangible parts , and other passages of nature , and not by a conflict of heats

References edit