composition
n. C / Un. the way the different parts of something are put together or arranged. It can describe a piece of music, a piece of writing, or the layout of a photograph.
n. the nature of something's ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up. Also refers to a creative work, such as a musical score or a short essay.
The scientist studied the chemical composition of the soil.
The photographer carefully adjusted the camera to improve the composition of the landscape shot.
While the physical composition of the painting had degraded over centuries, the underlying geometric structure remained visible to the restoration team.
From Middle English composicioun, borrowed from Old French composicion, from Latin compositiō, compositiōnem.
Uncountable when referring to the general makeup of a substance; countable when referring to specific artistic or literary works.