compose

See also: composé

English

Etymology

From Middle English composen, 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

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

    • Audio (California):

      (file)

  • (General Australian) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpəʉz/, /kəmˈpɐʉz/
  • (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /kəmˈpɐʉz/
• 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.

   • December 22 1678, Thomas Sprat, A Sermon Preached before the King at White-Hall

     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.

   • 1741, I[saac] Watts, The Improvement of the Mind: Or, A Supplement to the Art of Logick: […], London: […] James Brackstone, […], →OCLC:

     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.

   • 1714, Alexander Pope, Imitation of Horace, Book II. Sat. 6:

     Let me […] compose / Something in Verse as true as Prose.

   • 1838, Benjamin Haydon, Painting, and the fine arts:

     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.

   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     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, published 2011, page 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.
   • 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:

     In a peaceful grave my corpse compose.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     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, indite; see also Thesaurus:compose

Derived terms

• cocompose
• composability
• composable
• composer
• composing frame
• composing rule
• composing stick
• composite
• composition
• compositor
• composograph
• composure
• decompose
• discompose
• miscompose
• photocompose
• postcompose
• precompose
• recompose
• through-composed

 

Related terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *tḱey- (0 c, 30 e)

Translations

to make something by merging parts

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

  Mandarin: 創作 / 创作 (zh) (chuàngzuò) (create), 整理 (zh) (zhěnglǐ) (arrange), 作曲 (zh) (zuòqǔ) (write music), 編寫 / 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), komponieren (de) (music)
• Greek: συνθέτω (el) (synthéto)

  Ancient: συντάσσω (suntássō)

• Italian: comporre (it)
• Latin: compingō, compono (la)
• Ottoman Turkish: دوزمك (düzmek)
• 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
• Turkish: bestelemek (tr) (music)
• Ukrainian: склада́ти impf (skladáty), скла́сти pf (sklásty), компонува́ти impf (komponuváty), скомпонува́ти pf (skomponuváty)
• Vietnamese: phổ (vi) (music), sáng tác (vi)

to make up the whole; to constitute

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

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

• Czech: dát dohromady pf
• Dutch: vormen (nl)
• Esperanto: konsisti
• 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 / 组成 (zh) (zǔchéng), 構成 / 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 (ar) (ʔallafa)
• Armenian: հորինել (hy) (horinel)
• Azerbaijani: bəstələmək (az)
• Bulgarian: съчинявам (bg) (sǎčinjavam), творя (bg) (tvorja)
• Catalan: compondre (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 創作 / 创作 (zh) (chuàngzuò) (create), 整理 (zh) (zhěnglǐ) (arrange), 作曲 (zh) (zuòqǔ) (write music), 編寫 / 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 (he) (khibér) (literary work), הלחין (hilkhín) (music)
• Icelandic: semja (is)
• Irish: cum
• Latin: compōnō (la)
• Old English: wyrcan
• Old Norse: yrkja
• Portuguese: compor (pt)
• Russian: сочиня́ть (ru) impf (sočinjátʹ), сочини́ть (ru) pf (sočinítʹ), писа́ть (ru) impf (pisátʹ), написа́ть (ru) pf (napisátʹ)
• Spanish: componer (es)
• Turkish: bestelemek (tr)
• Ukrainian: склада́ти impf (skladáty), скла́сти pf (sklásty), компонува́ти impf (komponuváty), скомпонува́ти pf (skomponuváty)
• Uzbek: bastalamoq (uz)
• Vietnamese: soạn thảo (vi), biên soạn (vi), soạn (vi)

to calm oneself down

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

  Mandarin: 鎮靜 / 镇静 (zh) (zhènjìng), 平靜 / 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 / 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. 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)
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} comporre (it)
• Japanese: ^{(please verify)} 構成する
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} componer (es)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.poz/

Verb

compose

1. inflection of composer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Italian

Verb

compose

1. third-person singular past historic of comporre