Composed

How to spell composed

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce composed

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does composed mean?

1. verbCreated or arranged something, especially a piece of writing or music, by putting parts together.
2. adjectiveCalm, controlled and free from agitation.

Composed in a sentence

• verb

  She composed a piano sonata over the long winter.

• adjective

  She stayed remarkably composed during the difficult interview.

• verb

  The lawyer composed a careful reply to the complaint.

• adjective

  He looked cool and composed as he delivered the bad news.

Where does composed come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin componere, which literally meant 'to put together' or 'to arrange', built from com- 'together' and ponere 'to place'. English took it through the Old French composer, and although the French and English spelling lean on the form poser 'to put', the deeper Latin sense of placing pieces in order is what survives in every modern use. By the 1400s English speakers used 'compose' for arranging words, music or any set of parts into a whole, and from there the past form 'composed' settled into both a verb and an adjective. The calm sense grew naturally: a person who has arranged or settled their feelings is 'composed', much as a tune is composed of ordered notes. The same ponere root sits inside a large family of relatives such as deposit, oppose and component, and the steady -pos- in the middle is the reliable spelling anchor.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• pos (place/put, from Latin ponere)
• -ed (past tense / participle suffix)