compose

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To make up the constituent parts of; constitute or form: an exhibit composed of French paintings; the many ethnic groups that compose our nation. See Usage Note at comprise.
2. v. To make or create by putting together parts or elements.
3. v. To create or produce (a literary or musical piece).
4. v. To make (oneself) calm or tranquil: Compose yourself and deal with the problems logically.
5. v. To settle or adjust; reconcile: They managed to compose their differences.
6. v. To arrange aesthetically or artistically.
7. v. Printing To arrange or set (type or matter to be printed).
8. v. To create a literary or musical piece.
9. v. Printing To set type.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make or form by uniting two or more things; put together the parts of; form by framing, fashioning, or arranging. In relation to material things (rarely persons).
2. In relation to literary authorship: as, to compose a sermon or a sonnet.
3. In relation to musical authorship: as, to compose a sonata.
4. In relation to artistic skill: as, to compose (arrange the leading features of) a picture, statue, group, etc.
5. In printing: To put into type; set the types for: as, to compose a page or a pamphlet.
6. To arrange in the composing-stick: set: as, to compose a thousand ems.
7. To form by being combined or united; be the substance, constituents, or elements of; constitute; make up: as, levies of raw soldiers compose his army; the wall is composed of bricks and mortar; water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
8. To bring into a composed state; calm; quiet; appease.
9. To settle; adjust; reconcile; bring into a proper state or condition: as, to compose differences.
10. To place or arrange in proper form; put into a settled state; arrange.
11. To dispose; put into a proper mood or temper for any purpose.
12. To practise composition, in any of the active senses of that word.
13. To come to an agreement; adjust differences; agree.
14. In painting, to combine or fall into a group or arrangement with artistic effect; admit of pleasing or artistic combination in a picture: as, the mountains composed well.

Wiktionary

1. v. transitive To make up the whole; to constitute.
2. v. transitive, nonstandard To comprise.
3. v. transitive or intransitive To construct by mental labor; to think up; particularly, to produce or create a literary or musical work.
4. v. reflexive To calm oneself down.
5. v. To arrange the elements of a photograph or other picture.
6. v. To settle (an argument, dispute etc.); to come to a settlement.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To form by putting together two or more things or parts; to put together; to make up; to fashion.
2. v. To form the substance of, or part of the substance of; to constitute.
3. v. To construct by mental labor; to design and execute, or put together, in a manner involving the adaptation of forms of expression to ideas, or to the laws of harmony or proportion.
4. v. To dispose in proper form; to reduce to order; to put in proper state or condition; to adjust; to regulate.
5. v. To free from agitation or disturbance; to tranquilize; to soothe; to calm; to quiet.
6. v. (Print.) To arrange (types) in a composing stick in order for printing; to set (type).
7. v. obsolete To come to terms.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. calm (someone, especially oneself); make quiet
2. v. produce a literary work
3. v. form the substance of
4. v. put together out of existing material
5. v. make up plans or basic details for
6. v. write music