a. and sb. Also 7 -it. [ad. L. composit-us, pa. pple. of compōnĕre to put together. Cf. F. composite (in Archit.). Introduced first in the architectural sense (2), the only one recognized by Johnson, 1755–73.]
1. Made up of various parts or elements; compound; not simple in structure.
1678. Gale, Crt. Gentiles, III. 27. It is impossible, in a composite sense, that the creature should not act and do that unto which it is premoved by the first cause.
1836–7. Sir W. Hamilton, Metaph., xxxvi. (1870), II. 328. We cannot decompose what is not already composite.
1851. Herschel, Stud. Nat. Phil., II. ii. 96. To analyse a composite phenomenon into simpler ones.
1883. A. Roberts, O. T. Revis., ii. 28. The Book of Genesis is composite … a congeries of fragments collected from many different sources.
b. with of: = Compounded, composed. rare.
1842. Mrs. Browning, Grk. Chr. Poets, 17. A dithyrambic ode … composite of fantastic epithets.
2. Arch. The name of the fifth of the classical orders, being ‘composed of the Ionic grafted upon the Corinthian.’ At first Composita (sc. columna).
1563. Shute, Archit., B ij a. This piller was firste buylded to his perfection in the time of Titus, Vespasianus, who … called it Composita, or as some doo name her Italica. Ibid., E iv b. Tuscana, Dorica, Ionica, Corinthia, & Composita, increase their heightes by Diameters.
1663. Gerbier, Counsel (1664), 40. The Composite Order must be made of the same proportions of the Corinthian.
1706. Lond. Gaz., No. 4280/5. The Three Greek Orders, Dorick, Ionick, and Corinthian … and the Two Latin, Tuscan and Composita.
1766. Entick, London, IV. 95. Above there is placed a series of composite columns.
1851. Ruskin, Stones Ven. (1874), I. App. 359. Another order, the Composite, which is Ionic and Corinthian mixed … may be described as a spoiled Corinthian.
b. Composite arch: ‘the pointed or lancet arch’ (Gwilt).
3. Math. Composite number: a number that is the product of two or more factors, greater than unity. [L. numerus compositus (Isidore, III. v. 7).]
1730–6. in Bailey (folio).
1772. Horsley, Prime Numb., in Phil. Trans., LXII. 327. Two or more numbers, which have any common integral divisor besides unity, are said to be Composite with respect to one another.
1827. Hutton, Course Math., I. 4. A Composite Number is one which is the product of two or more numbers.
1859. Barn. Smith, Arith. & Algebra (ed. 6), 20.
† b. See quot.: cf. COMPOUND a. 2 b.
a. 1500. in Halliwell’s Brief Acc. S. Morland (1838), 20. Composittys be alle nombrys that ben componyd of a digyt and of an articule, as fourtene.
4. Nat. Hist. Consisting of an organic aggregation of individuals, or of distinct parts.
a. Bot. (a) Belonging to the N. O. Compositæ, in which what is popularly called the flower consists really of a close head of many small flowers (‘florets’) sessile on a common receptacle, and surrounded by a common involucre of bracts; examples are the daisy, dandelion, tansy, marigold, aster, chrysanthemum, dahlia, sunflower. Also sb. A plant of this order.
In many Composites the florets of the ray or circumference differ in shape from those of the disc, being developed so as to look like petals; by cultivation, the florets of the disc may assume the same form, as in the daisy, dahlia, and common marigold; these two states are popularly called single and double.
1832. Pinnock, Guide to Knowl., No. 11, 88/2. The whole autumnal season is remarkable for the reign of the Compositæ, or composite flowers.
1854. Balfour, Outlines Bot., 449. The properties of Composite plants are various.
1861. S. Thomson, Wild Fl., II. (ed. 4), 120. The head of a composite is made up of a number of … florets.
1882. Garden, 10 June, 405/1. Graceful single flowered Composites have become so popular.
† (b) Compound. Obs.
1753. Chambers, Cycl. Supp., s.v. Stalk, If the stalk divaricate, or, instead of sending out branches, it divide into them, it is called a composite stalk.
b. Zool. Compound.
1861. J. R. Greene, Man. Anim. Kingd., Cœlent., 205. The corallum of the Tabulata is mostly, if not always, composite.
1872. Carpenter, Anim. Phys., xv. 554. The arborescent structures of the Composite Zoophytes.
c. Crystallogr. Compound.
1831. Brewster, Optics, xxvi. 220. These strata are not united together like the parts of certain composite crystals.
5. Logic. Belonging to the terms collectively, but not to each separately; collective. (Cf. COMPOSITION 4 b.)
1864. Bowen, Logic, ix. (1870), 278. Another ambiguity … is passing from the Composite to the Divisive, or from the Divisive to the Composite, meaning of a proposition.
6. In various technical uses: a. Of ships: Built of both wood and iron; constructed of an iron framework covered with wood.
1878. Lady Brassey, Voy. Sunbeam, 1, note. The ‘Sunbeam’ … may be technically defined as a screw composite three-masted topsail-yard Schooner.
1888. Daily News, 10 Sept., 3/1. She is a composite vessel—that is, constructed of iron frames with a wood bottom, protected by copper sheathing.
b. Composite carriage: a railway-carriage with compartments of different classes. So a composite.
1868. Daily News, 24 Aug. A composite (first and second class) carriage. Ibid. (1883), 3 Jan., 2/4. Captain Price and Dr. Davies scrambled out of the capsized composite.
1887. Times, 19 Sept., 10/2. He was in the bogie composite carriage.
c. Composite candle: one made of a mixture of stearic acid and the stearin of coco-nut oil.
1845. Mech. Mag., 60. A very cheap composite candle.
1857. Mrs. Carlyle, Lett., II. 334. There isn’t a candle allowed … wax, dip, moulded, or composite.
1865. Look Before You Leap, I. 176. A pair of hastily lit composites.
d. Composite photograph or portrait: a single photographic portrait, produced by combining those of two or more persons. Also a composite.
7. Composite sailing in Naut.: a combination of great-circle and parallel sailing.
c. 1850. Rudim. Navig. (Weale), 56. Another variety of the system is Composite Great Circle Sailing.
1868. Daily News, 10 Sept. Connected with these tables was a sailing which Mr. Towson had designated ‘composite sailing,’ by which he had enabled the mariner to take the nearest practical route when great circle sailing is not available.
B. sb. (See also prec. senses 3 b, 4 a, 6.)
† 1. A component part. Obs. rare–1.
1657. R. Ligon, Barbadoes, 12. If time and tune be the Composits of Musicke.
2. A composite thing; anything made up of different parts or elements, a compound.
1656. J. Serjeant, trans. White’s Peripat. Inst., 204. The Composit or compound must needs be, in some measure, dense.
1721. Bailey, Composites, (in Pharmacy) Medicines made up of many simple ones; as certain Waters, Syrups, Electuaries, etc.
1750. Harris, Hermes, III. v. Wks. 241. Each man’s understanding … is a composite of natural capacity and of super-induced habit.
1794. T. Taylor, trans. Pausanias’ Descr. Greece, I. Pref. 15. Beauty in every composite consists in the apt connexion of its parts with each other.
1870. Lowell, Among My Books, Ser. I. (1873), 151. That wonderful composite called English.
3. Gram. A compound word or term. rare.
1708–15. Kersey, Composite, a Term in Grammar; as A Composite, or Compounded Word.
1887. Earle, Philol. Eng. Tongue, § 397. These [adjectives] are Composites; they have been formed by the combination of two words.
