composition

Etymology

From Middle English composicioun, from Old French composicion, from Latin compositiō, compositiōnem.

noun

1. The act of putting together; assembly.
2. A mixture or compound; the result of composing.
3. The proportion of different parts to make a whole.
4. The general makeup of a thing or person.
   It seemed that the milk of human kindness had not been left out of his composition. 1932, Frank Richards, The Magnet - Bunter's Night Out
5. (obsolete) An agreement or treaty used to settle differences; later especially, an agreement to stop hostilities; a truce.
   with an incredible courage they advanced to the push of the Pike with the defendants, that with the like courage repulsed[…], that the Turks retired and fled into the Castle, from whence by a flag of truce they desired composition. 1630, John Smith, True travels, Kupperman, published 1988, page 50
   […] the Britons, by rendering the war thus bloody, seemed determined to cut off all hopes of peace or composition with the enemy. 1754, David Hume, The History of England, volume I, London: T. Cadell, published 1773, page 8
6. (obsolete) A payment of money in order to clear a liability or obligation; a settling or fine.
   That all and every person and persons already convicted or prosecuted in order to conviction of recusancy […] shall be thenceforth exempted and discharged from all the penalties, seizures, forfeitures, judgments, and executions, incurred by force of any of the aforesaid Statutes, without any composition, fee, or further charge whatsoever. 1688, Parliament of England, Toleration Act 1688, section 3
   1. (Singapore, law) A payment of fine in order to settle a (usually minor) criminal charge.
7. (law) an agreement or compromise by which a creditor or group of creditors accepts partial payment from a debtor.
8. An essay.
9. (linguistics) The formation of compound words from separate words.
10. A work of music, literature or art.
    […] and how good Mrs. West could have written such books and collected so many hard words, with all her family cares, is still more a matter of astonishment. Composition seems to me impossible with a head full of joints of mutton and doses of rhubarb. 1818, Jane Austen, A letter dated 8 September 1818
11. (printing) Typesetting.
12. (mathematics) Applying a function to the result of another.
13. (physics) The compounding of two velocities or forces into a single equivalent velocity or force.
14. (obsolete) Consistency; accord; congruity.
15. Synthesis as opposed to analysis.
16. (painting, photography) The arrangement and flow of elements in a picture.
17. (object-oriented programming) Way to combine simple objects or data types into more complex ones.