compositional

Etymology

It is formed from English composition + -al.^[2][3] Composition is from Old French composicion and directly from Latin compositiō (“a putting together, arranging”),^[3] a noun of action from compōnō (“to put together”), formed from com- (“together”) and pōnō (“to place”).^[3] Middle English had composicional, a medical word taken from Medieval Latin compositiōnālis.^[4][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Relating to composition: 1815, in a letter of John Jebb of 31 May.^[2][3]

Semantic evolution

In Middle English composicional was used, in a translation of Chauliac's surgery from before 1425, of diseases that affect an organ, a compound part of the body, as against those of the simple parts.^[4][3] The modern adjective, formed afresh in 1815, means relating to composition in any of its senses,^[2][3] as in music and art,^[5] and the adverb compositionally is recorded from 1934.^[6] Wiktionary also records the sense "being the sum of its parts".^[1]

Timeline

• before 1425 – Middle English composicional, of a disease, affecting an organ.^[4]
• 1815 – relating to composition.^[2][3]
• 1934 – the adverb compositionally.^[6]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Relating to composition, the way a work of music, art or writing is put together: The painter's compositional choices draw the eye to the doorway.^[5][2][1]
2. Having a meaning or value that is the sum of the meanings or values of its parts.^[1]

Word family

• compositionally

Related words

• composition
• compose
• component
• position

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press