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composite

adj, noun, verb — 16 senses

composite

adj

UK /ˈkɒmpəzɪt/ · US /kəmˈpɑzɪt/

Etymology Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot.

1

Made up of multiple components; compound or complex.

  • The line then falls on a gradient of 1 in 102 to the point at Windmill Lane, known locally as the "Three Bridges," where there is a composite crossing of road, canal and railway, all at the same point. The road is carried over the canal by an orthodox-style bridge, the canal being contained in a cast-iron trough, 8 ft. deep, which passes at an acute angle over the railway. (This arrangement at Southall remains the same in 2026)1960 February 23, R. K. Kirkland, “The Great Western and Brentford Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 81:
2

Architecture Being a mixture of Ionic and Corinthian styles.

3

Mathematics, Sciences Having factors other than itself and one; not prime and not one.

4

Biology, Botany, Natural sciences Belonging to the Asteraceae family (formerly known as Compositae), bearing involucrate heads of many small florets.

5

Arts, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Photography Historical Employing multiple exposures on a single plate, so as to create an average view of something, such as faces in physiognomy.

  • composite portraiture; a composite photograph
  • [B]y photographing a number of faces on the same plate, and so superimposing their images on one another, he produces a so-called "composite" photograph or image.1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 92:
Derived terms
27 termscomposite board insulation, composite bow, composite built, composite candle, composite carriage, composite demand, composite flower, composite function, composite key, composite laminate, compositely, composite monarchy, compositeness, composite particle, composite pattern, composite pose, composite reuse principle, composite sentence, composite sketch, composite sync, composite type, composite video, compositous, highly composite number, multicomposite, noncomposite, superior highly composite number

composite

noun

Etymology Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot.

10 senses
  1. 1A mixture of different components.
  2. 2A structural material that gains its strength from a…
  3. 3A plant belonging to the family Asteraceae, syn. Compositae.
  4. 4A function of a function.
  5. 5Clipping of composite number.
  6. 6A drawing, photograph, etc. that combines several…
  7. 7A railway carriage with compartments for two different…
  8. 8A framed photo board composed of many individual photos…
  9. 9The separate pages of individual student photos that…
  10. 10A segment, subset.
1

A mixture of different components.

2

A structural material that gains its strength from a combination of complementary materials.

3

Biology, Botany, Natural sciences A plant belonging to the family Asteraceae, syn. Compositae.

4

Mathematics, Sciences A function of a function.

5

Mathematics, Sciences Abbreviation, Clipping Clipping of composite number.

6

Government, Law enforcement A drawing, photograph, etc. that combines several separate pictures or images.

7

Rail transport, Railways, Transport UK A railway carriage with compartments for two different classes of travel; see Composite Corridor.

  • The units are made up as either: [...] Trailer composite—4 first-class compartments—24 seats; and 3 second-class compartments—24 seats, [...] A total of 40 vehicles are to be built, Ten of each type of power car, ten trailer composites, five trailer seconds and five trailer second/buffets.1963 April, “New Inter-City diesel multiple-units for W.R.”, in Modern Railways, page 266:
8

A framed photo board composed of many individual photos of fraternity or sorority members.

9

The separate pages of individual student photos that form the main section.

School yearbook

10

Uncommon A segment, subset.

  • […] likely give offense to conscience or moral feelings or shock the sense of decency or propriety in a substantial composite of the general public1991 December 1, Jacob Smith Yang, quoting U.S. Trademark Office, “Old Glory Condoms Denied Patent”, in Gay Community News, volume 19, number 20, page 2:
  • Insurance as an industry is a major composite of the financial sector of any economy all over the world, Nigeria inclusive.2019, J. M. Odachi, S. E. Okon, “Organisational Culture and Perception of Service Quality among Employees in the Insurance Industry in Nigeria”, in UNILAG Journal of Humanities, volume 7, number 2, page 160:
Derived terms
azocomposite, bicomposite, biocomposite, coboson, compomer, decomposite, DYC, facial composite, geocomposite, metallocomposite, microcomposite, nanocomposite, piezocomposite, supercomposite
Related terms
aggregate, conglomerate

composite

verb

Etymology Borrowed from Middle French composite, from Latin compositus, past participle of compōnō (“put together”). Doublet of compost, compote, and kompot.

1

To make a composite.

  • I composited an image using computer software.
Derived terms
compositable, decomposited, noncomposited, recomposite
Related terms
compositry

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.