Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Composition \Com`po*si"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.

   2. The state of being put together or composed; conjunction;
      combination; adjustment.

            View them in composition with other things. --I.
                                                  Watts.

            The elementary composition of bodies. --Whewell.

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

            A composition that looks . . . like marble.
                                                  --Addison.

   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.

   5. Consistency; accord; congruity. [Obs.]

            There is no composition in these news That gives
            them credit.                          --Shak.

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

            Thus we are agreed: I crave our composition may be
            written.                              --Shak.

   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.

            Compositions for not taking the order of knighthood.
                                                  --Hallam.

            Cleared by composition with their creditors.
                                                  --Blackstone.

   8. Synthesis as opposed to analysis.

            The investigation of difficult things by the method
            of analysis ought ever to precede the method of
            composition.                          --Sir I.
                                                  Newton.

   {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.

Source : WordNet®

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"

Source : Free On-Line Dictionary of Computing

composition
     
        1. {function composition}.
     
        2. {typesetting}.
     
        (2000-08-16)