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Compose vs Devise - What's the difference?

compose | devise | Related terms |

In transitive terms the difference between compose and devise

is that compose is to make up the whole; to constitute while devise is to leave (property) in a will.

As a noun devise is

the act of leaving real property in a will.

compose

English

(Composition)

Verb

(compos)
  • To make something by merging parts.
    • The editor composed a historical journal from many individual letters.
    Try to compose your thoughts.
  • * Bishop Sprat
    • Zeal ought to be composed of the highest degrees of all pious affection.
  • To make up the whole; to constitute.
    • A church is composed of its members.
  • * I. Watts
    • A few useful things compose their intellectual possessions.
  • (nonstandard) To comprise.
  • (transitive, or, intransitive) To construct by mental labor; to think up; particularly, to produce or create a literary or musical work.
    • The orator composed his speech over the week prior.
    Nine numbered symphonies, including the Fifth, were composed by Beethoven.
    It's difficult to compose without absolute silence.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • Let me compose / Something in verse as well as prose.
  • * B. R. Haydon
    • the genius that composed such works as the "Standard" and "Last Supper"
  • (sometimes, reflexive) To calm; to free from agitation.
    • The defendant couldn't compose herself and was found in contempt.
  • * Dryden
    • Compose thy mind; / Nor frauds are here contrived, nor force designed.
  • To arrange the elements of a photograph or other picture.
  • To settle (an argument, dispute etc.); to come to a settlement.
  • * 2010 , (Christopher Hitchens), Hitch-22 , Atlantic 2011, p. 280:
    • By trying his best to compose matters with the mullahs, he had sincerely shown that he did not seek a violent collision
  • To arrange in proper form; to reduce to order; to put in proper state or condition.
  • * Dryden
    • In a peaceful grave my corpse compose .
  • * Milton
    • How in safety best we may / Compose our present evils.
  • (printing, dated) To arrange (types) in a composing stick for printing; to typeset.

    • Derived terms

    * composer * composite * composing stick * composition * compositor * composure * decompose

    Related terms

    * compound

    devise

    English

    (wikipedia devise)

    Verb

    (devis)
  • To use one's intellect to plan or design (something).
    • to devise''' an argument; to '''devise a machine, or a new system of writing
  • * Bancroft
    • devising schemes to realize his ambitious views
  • *
    • Thus, the task of the linguist devising' a grammar which models the linguistic competence of the fluent native speaker is to '''devise a ''finite'' set of rules which are capable of specifying how to form, interpret, and pronounce an ''infinite set of well-formed sentences.
  • To leave (property) in a will.
  • (archaic) To form a scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider.
  • * Alexander Pope
    • I thought, devised , and Pallas heard my prayer.
  • (archaic) To plan or scheme for; to plot to obtain.
  • * Spenser
    • For wisdom is most riches; fools therefore / They are which fortunes do by vows devise .
  • (obsolete) To imagine; to guess.
    • (Spenser)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • The act of leaving real property in a will.
  • Such a will, or a clause in such a will.
  • * Bancroft
    • Fines upon devises were still exacted.
  • The real property left in such a will.

    • See also

    * device * devising

    Anagrams

    * ----