compose

The story

1. Latin · derived fromcomponere“to put together, compose”
2. Old French · derived fromcomposer“to compose, compound, adjust, settle”
3. Middle English · inherited fromcomposen
4. English todaycompose

From Middle English composen, from Old French composer (“to compose, compound, adjust, settle”), from com- + poser, as an adaptation of Latin componere (“to put together, compose”), from com- (“together”) + ponere (“to put, place”).

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from later 15th c. To make something by merging parts.