Compose

Compose is a verb meaning to form or bring together by putting parts or elements in order. It can also mean to create something such as a musical work, a written piece, or a plan. In addition, it can describe gathering one’s thoughts or emotions, as in “to compose oneself.” The term is used across many domains to denote arranging a coherent whole.

In the arts, to compose involves planning and arranging. A composer creates a musical piece; a writer or journalist composes prose or an essay; a photographer composes an image by arranging subjects, light, and framing within the frame.

In computing and design, composition often refers to combining parts to form a larger whole. Function composition creates a new function by applying one function to the result of another. In software deployment, Docker Compose is a tool that defines and runs multi-container applications using a single configuration file, orchestrating the services that make up an application.

Etymology and related terms: compose comes from the Latin componere, meaning to put together or combine (com- meaning together, ponere meaning to place). Related concepts include composition, composite, and composer.

See also: composition, composer, composability, functionality.