[1] : The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48

composition \com`posi"tion\, n. f. composition, fr. l.
   compositio. see composite.
   1. the act or art of composing, or forming a whole or
      integral, by placing together and uniting different
      things, parts, or ingredients. in specific uses:
      a the invention or combination of the parts of any
          literary work or discourse, or of a work of art; as,
          the composition of a poem or a piece of music. "the
          constant habit of elaborate composition." --macaulay.
      b fine arts the art or practice of so combining the
          different parts of a work of art as to produce a
          harmonious whole; also, a work of art considered as
          such. see 4, below.
      c the act of writing for practice in a language, as
          english, latin, german, etc.
      d print. the setting up of type and arranging it for
          printing.
          1913 webster

   2. the state of being put together or composed; conjunction;
      combination; adjustment.
      1913 webster

            view them in composition with other things. --i.
                                                  watts.
      1913 webster

            the elementary composition of bodies. --whewell.
      1913 webster

   3. a mass or body formed by combining two or more substances;
      as, a chemical composition.
      1913 webster

            a composition that looks . . . like marble.
                                                  --addison.
      1913 webster

   4. a literary, musical, or artistic production, especially
      one showing study and care in arrangement; -- often used
      of an elementary essay or translation done as an
      educational exercise.
      1913 webster

   5. consistency; accord; congruity. obs.
      1913 webster

            there is no composition in these news
            that gives them credit.               --shak.
      1913 webster

   6. mutual agreement to terms or conditions for the settlement
      of a difference or controversy; also, the terms or
      conditions of settlement; agreement.
      1913 webster

            thus we are agreed:
            i crave our composition may be written. --shak.
      1913 webster

   7. law the adjustment of a debt, or avoidance of an
      obligation, by some form of compensation agreed on between
      the parties; also, the sum or amount of compensation
      agreed upon in the adjustment.
      1913 webster

            compositions for not taking the order of knighthood.
                                                  --hallam.
      1913 webster

            cleared by composition with their creditors.
                                                  --blackstone.
      1913 webster

   8. synthesis as opposed to analysis.
      1913 webster

            the investigation of difficult things by the method
            of analysis ought ever to precede the method of
            composition.                          --sir i.
                                                  newton.
      1913 webster

   composition cloth, a kind of cloth covered with a
      preparation making it waterproof.

   composition deed, an agreement for composition between a
      debtor and several creditors.

   composition plane crystallog., the plane by which the two
      individuals of a twin crystal are united in their reserved
      positions.

   composition of forces mech., the finding of a single
      force called the resultant which shall be equal in
      effect to two or more given forces called the components
      when acting in given directions. --herbert.

   composition metal, an alloy resembling brass, which is
      sometimes used instead of copper for sheathing vessels; --
      also called muntz metal and yellow metal.

   composition of proportion math., an arrangement of four
      proportionals so that the sum of the first and second is
      to the second as the sum of the third and fourth to the
      fourth.
      1913 webster
see also:
composite composition cloth composition deed composition plane composition of forces composition metal 
muntz metal yellow metal composition of proportion 

[2] : WordNet (r) 2.0

composition
     n 1: a mixture of ingredients
     2: the way in which someone or something is composed syn: constitution,
         makeup
     3: the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts
        in relation to each other and to the whole; "harmonious
        composition is essential in a serious work of art" syn: composing
     4: a musical work that has been created; "the composition is
        written in four movements" syn: musical composition, opus,
         piece, piece of music
     5: musical creation syn: composing
     6: the act of creating written works; "writing was a form of
        therapy for him"; "it was a matter of disputed authorship"
        syn: writing, authorship, penning
     7: art and technique of printing with movable type syn: typography
     8: an essay especially one written as an assignment; "he got
        an a on his composition" syn: paper, report, theme
     9: something that is created by arranging several things to
        form a unified whole; "he envied the composition of their
        faculty"
see also:
constitution makeup composing musical composition opus piece 
piece of music writing authorship penning typography 
paper report theme 

[3] : Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0

500 moby thesaurus words for "composition":
   anschluss, intertype, linotype, monotype, nachtmusik,
   portland cement, spackle, abatement of differences, absolute music,
   accommodation, adaptation, addition, adjustment, admixture, adobe,
   affiliation, agglomeration, aggregate, aggregation, agreement,
   air varie, aleatory, aleatory music, alliance, alloy, alloyage,
   amalgam, amalgamation, amends, anatomy, architectonics,
   architecture, arrangement, art object, article, artifact, artistry,
   assembly, assimilation, association, atmosphere, atonement,
   authorcraft, authorship, autograph, automatic writing, balance,
   bargain, blend, blending, body-build, brainchild, brand, brew,
   bric-a-brac, brushwork, build, building, cabal,
   cacoethes scribendi, cartel, cast, casting, cement, census,
   centralization, chamber music, chamber orchestra, character,
   characteristic, characteristics, child, chinking, choice of words,
   classic, clay, coalescence, coalition, coinage,
   cold-type typesetting, color, combination, combine, combo,
   comminglement, commingling, commixture, compensation, complexion,
   composing, composing stick, composite, compound, compromise,
   computer printout, computerized typesetting, concession,
   concoction, confection, confederacy, confederation, configuration,
   conformation, congeries, conglomeration, conjugation, conjunction,
   consolidation, conspiracy, constituents, constitution,
   construction, content, contents, conversion, cop-out, copy,
   crafting, craftsmanship, crasis, creation, creative writing,
   creature, crowning achievement, cultivation, deal, decoction,
   decoctum, descant, desertion of principle, design, devising,
   dharma, dialect, diathesis, diction, disposition, distillation,
   divisions, document, draft, draftsmanship, drama-writing, dummy,
   eclecticism, ecumenism, edited version, editorial-writing, effect,
   elaboration, electronic music, elements, embodiment, encompassment,
   end product, engrossment, enosis, ensemble, erection, essay,
   essay-writing, essence, ethos, etude, evasion of responsibility,
   exercise, expiation, expiatory offering, expository writing,
   expression, extract, extraction, fabric, fabrication,
   facility in writing, fair copy, fashion, fashioning,
   feature-writing, federalization, federation, fiber, fiction,
   final draft, finished version, first draft, flimsy, forging, form,
   format, formation, forming, formula, formulation, frame, framing,
   fruit, furniture, fusion, galley chase, genius, getup,
   give-and-take, giving way, grain, grammar, graphomania,
   graphorrhea, graphospasm, grotesque, grouping, grout, growing,
   guts, habit, handicraft, handiwork, harmonization, harmony,
   harvesting, holograph, hookup, hot-metal typesetting, hue, humor,
   humors, idiom, ilk, immixture, imposition, incidental music,
   inclusion, incorporation, indemnification, indemnity, index,
   inditement, ingredients, innards, insides, instrumental music,
   integration, interfusion, interlarding, interlardment,
   interminglement, intermingling, intermixture, invention, inventory,
   issue, items, journalism, junction, junta, justification, kind,
   kitsch, language, layout, league, letter, libretto-writing, line,
   line of type, list, literae scriptae, literary artefact,
   literary artistry, literary composition, literary power,
   literary production, literary talent, literature, locution,
   lucubration, machining, magma, make, makeup, making, making amends,
   making good, making right, making up, manufacture, manufacturing,
   manuscript, marriage, master, masterpiece, masterwork, mastic,
   matter, medley, melange, meld, melding, merger, milling, mingling,
   mining, mintage, mix, mixing, mixture, mobile, mold, molding,
   mortar, museum piece, mutual concession, nature, new mintage,
   nocturne, nonfiction, novel-writing, nude, offspring, old master,
   opera, opus, opuscule, orchestration, organic structure, organism,
   organization, original, origination, outcome, outgrowth, package,
   package deal, painterliness, paper, parchment, parget, parlance,
   part, parts, paste, pasticcio, pastiche, patching plaster, pattern,
   patterning, peace offering, pen, pencraft, penscript, perspective,
   photocomposition, photosetting, phototypesetter,
   phototypesetting machine, phrase, phraseology, phrasing, physique,
   piaculum, piece, piece of virtu, piece of writing, placement,
   placing, plan, play, playwriting, pluralism, poem, prefabrication,
   preparation, printed matter, printout, processing, producing,
   product, production, program music, property, propitiation,
   proportion, quality, quittance, quoin, raising, reading matter,
   ready pen, recension, reclamation, recompense, redemption, redress,
   refining, reparation, restitution, result, rewriting, rhetoric,
   ricercar, roughcast, satisfaction, score, screed, scrip, script,
   scrive, scroll, second draft, set-up, setting, settlement, setup,
   shading, shadow, shape, shaping, short-story writing, size,
   skill with words, slug, smelting, solidification, somatotype,
   sonata, sonatina, sort, spackling compound, speech, spirit,
   squaring, stabile, stamp, statue, still life, story, streak,
   string orchestra, string quartet, stripe, structure, structuring,
   stucco, study, suchness, surrender, syncretism, syndication,
   syneresis, synthesis, system, talk, technical writing, technique,
   tectonics, temper, temperament, tendency, tenor, texture,
   the written word, theme, theme and variations, tie-up, tissue,
   tone, transcript, transcription, treatment, trio, type, typescript,
   typesetting, typesetting machine, understanding, unification,
   union, usage, use of words, usus loquendi, values, variation, vein,
   verbiage, verse-writing, version, virtu, warp and woof, way, weave,
   web, wedding, whole, wordage, wording, work, work of art,
   workmanship, writing, yielding

[4] : The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)

composition
     
        1. function composition.
     
        2. typesetting.
     
        2000-08-16
     
     
see also:
function composition typesetting 

[5] : Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)

composition, contracts. an agreement, made upon a sufficient consideration, 
between a debtor and creditor, by which the creditor accepts part of the 
debt due to him in satisfaction of the whole. montagu on compos. 1; 3 co. 
118; co. litt. 212, b; 4 mod. 88; 1 str. 426; 2 t. r. 24, 26; 2 chit. r. 
541, 564; 5 d.  r. 56 3 b.  c. 242; 1 r.  m. 188; 1 b.  a. 103, 440; 3 
moore's r. 11; 6 t. r. 263; 1 d.  r. 493; 2 campb. r. 283; 2 m.  s. 120; 1 
n. r. 124; harr. dig. deed viii. 
     2. in england, compositions were formerly allowed for crimes and 
misdemeanors, even for murder. but these compositions are no longer allowed, 
and even a qui tam action cannot be lawfully compounded. bac. ab. actions 
qui tam, see 2 john. 405; 9 john. 251; 10 john. 118; 11 john. 474; 6 n. h.-
rep. 200. 

Composition >> C Words
Composition, definition of term: Composition
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