Adjacent Words

Composite definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPOSITE, a. In architecture, the Composite order is the last of the five orders of columns; so called because its capital is composed out of those of the other orders or columns, borrowing a quarter-round from the Tuscan and Doric, a row of leaves from the Corinthian, and volutes from the Ionic. Its cornice has simple modillions or dentils. It is called also the Roman or the Italic order.
Composite numbers are such as can be measured exactly by a number exceeding unity, as 6 by 2 or e; so that r is the lowest composite number. Composite numbers between themselves, are those which have a common measure besides unity; as 12 and 15, both which are measured by e.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: consisting of separate interconnected parts
2: of or relating to or belonging to the plant family Compositae n
1: a conceptual whole made up of complicated and related parts; "the complex of shopping malls, houses, and roads created a new town" [syn: complex, composite]
2: considered the most highly evolved dicotyledonous plants, characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers [syn: composite, composite plant]

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Latin compositus, past participle of componere Date: 1563 1. made up of distinct parts: as a. capitalized relating to or being a modification of the Corinthian order combining angular Ionic volutes with the acanthus-circled bell of the Corinthian b. of or relating to a very large family (Compositae syn. Asteraceae) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees often considered to be the most highly evolved plants and characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers c. factorable into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself <8 is a positive composite integer> 2. combining the typical or essential characteristics of individuals making up a group <the composite man called the Poet — Richard Poirier> 3. of a statistical hypothesis specifying a range of values for one or more statistical parameters — compare simple 10 • compositely adverb II. noun Date: 1656 1. something composite ; compound <a composite of two images> 2. a composite plant 3. composite function 4. a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole; especially a structural material made of plastic within which a fibrous material (as silicon carbide) is embedded III. transitive verb (-ited; -iting) Date: 1923 to make composite or into something composite <composited four soil samples> <composite the images>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., n., & v. --adj. 1 made up of various parts; blended. 2 (esp. of a synthetic building material) made up of recognizable constituents. 3 Archit. of the fifth classical order of architecture, consisting of elements of the Ionic and Corinthian orders. 4 Bot. of the plant family Compositae. --n. 1 a thing made up of several parts or elements. 2 a synthetic building material. 3 Bot. any plant of the family Compositae, having a head of many small flowers forming one bloom, e.g. the daisy or the dandelion. 4 Polit. a resolution composed of two or more related resolutions. --v.tr. Polit. amalgamate (two or more similar resolutions). Derivatives: compositely adv. compositeness n. Etymology: F f. L compositus past part. of componere (as COM-, ponere posit- put)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Composite Com*pos"ite (?; 277), a. [L. compositus made up of parts, p. p. of componere. See Compound, v. t., and cf. Compost.] 1. Made up of distinct parts or elements; compounded; as, a composite language. Happiness, like air and water . . . is composite. --Landor. 2. (Arch.) Belonging to a certain order which is composed of the Ionic order grafted upon the Corinthian. It is called also the Roman or the Italic order, and is one of the five orders recognized by the Italian writers of the sixteenth century. See Capital.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

. Composite photograph or portrait, one made by a combination, or blending, of several distinct photographs. --F. Galton. Composite sailing (Naut.), a combination of parallel and great circle sailing. Composite ship, one with a wooden casing and iron frame.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Composite Com*pos"ite (?; 277), n. That which is made up of parts or compounded of several elements; composition; combination; compound. [R.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(composites) A composite object or item is made up of several different things, parts, or substances. Galton devised a method of creating composite pictures in which the features of different faces were superimposed over one another. ADJ: usu ADJ n • Composite is also a noun. Spain is a composite of diverse traditions and people. N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Compounded, complex.

Moby Thesaurus

admixture, alloy, amalgam, amalgamated, ambiguous, ambivalent, amphibious, blend, blended, certain, combination, combined, combo, commixture, complex, composition, compound, compounded, concoction, confection, conglomerate, dappled, eclectic, ensemble, equivocal, fifty-fifty, half-and-half, heterogeneous, immixture, indiscriminate, integral, integrant, integrated, intermixture, intricate, ironic, jumbled, magma, many-sided, medley, mingled, miscellaneous, mixed, mixture, more, more than one, motley, multifaceted, multinational, multiracial, not singular, numerous, paste, patchy, plural, pluralistic, plurative, promiscuous, rolled into one, scrambled, some, syncretic, thrown together, unified, unitary, united, varied, various