Composée

Composée is the feminine form of the French adjective or noun composed, and it is used to indicate that something is formed by combining parts. In general, it describes a state or quality produced by synthesis, and it agrees in gender with the noun it modifies.

In chemistry, the term is closely related to the concept of a chemical compound. The word “composé” is the standard noun for a compound, while “composée” appears in phrases such as “substance composée” or “molécule composée,” to emphasize that the substance is formed from more than one element. The feminine form is not usually used as the standalone noun.

In linguistics and grammar, “phrase composée” denotes a compound sentence that contains two or more clauses, as opposed to a simple sentence. The adjective “composée” agrees with feminine nouns such as phrase or proposition, yielding terms like phrase composée or proposition composée.

In mathematics, “fonction composée” refers to the composition of functions. Because it agrees with the feminine noun “fonction,” the resulting adjective form is “composée.” The concept describes a function obtained by applying one function to the results of another in sequence.

In music and literature, “musique composée” or “œuvre composée” describe works that have been created by a composer. The feminine form signals alignment with the gender of the noun being described.

Etymologically, composée derives from Latin compositus, from componere, meaning to put together. Across contexts, it signals that a thing results from assembling several parts or steps.