comprise

comprise
comprisable, adj.comprisal, n.
/keuhm pruyz"/, v.t., comprised, comprising.
1. to include or contain: The Soviet Union comprised several socialist republics.
2. to consist of; be composed of: The advisory board comprises six members.
3. to form or constitute: Seminars and lectures comprised the day's activities.
4. be comprised of, to consist of; be composed of: The sales network is comprised of independent outlets and chain stores.
[1400-50; late ME comprisen < MF compris (ptp. of comprendre) < L comprehensus; see COMPREHENSION]
Syn. 1. See include.
Usage. COMPRISE has had an interesting history of sense development. In addition to its original senses, dating from the 15th century, "to include" and "to consist of" (The United States of America comprises 50 states), COMPRISE has had since the late 18th century the meaning "to form or constitute" (Fifty states comprise the United States of America). Since the late 19th century it has also been used in passive constructions with a sense synonymous with that of one of its original meanings "to consist of, be composed of": The United States of America is comprised of 50 states. These later uses are often criticized, but they occur with increasing frequency even in formal speech and writing.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • comprise — 1. Comprise is often confused with compose, consist, and constitute. All four words are used to describe how parts make up a whole, but they start from different ends of the equation. Comprise has the whole as its subject and its parts as the… …   Modern English usage

  • Comprise — Com*prise , v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Comprised}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Comprising}.] [From F. compris, comprise, p. p. of comprendre, L. comprehendere. See {Comprehend}.] To comprehend; to include. [1913 Webster] Comprise much matter in few words. Hocker …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • comprise — I verb aggregate, amount to, be composed of, be formed of, be made of, consist of, constitute, contain, embody, embrace, encapsulate, encompass, hold, include, incorporate, involve, subsume, total associated concepts: comprising a cause of action …   Law dictionary

  • comprise — ► VERB 1) be made up of; consist of. 2) (also be comprised of) make up; constitute. USAGE Traditionally, comprise means ‘consist of’ and should not be used to mean ‘constitute or make up (a whole)’. However, a passive use of comprise is becoming… …   English terms dictionary

  • comprise — early 15c., to include, from O.Fr. compris, pp. of comprendre to contain, comprise (12c.), from L. comprehendere (see COMPREHEND (Cf. comprehend)). Related: Comprised; comprising …   Etymology dictionary

  • comprise — UK US /kəmˈpraɪz/ verb [T] ► to have as parts or members, or to be those parts or members: »Teams are created to work on one specific project, and are comprised of people who have very different skills. »Manufacturing comprises 14% of the state s …   Financial and business terms

  • comprise — [v] make up, consist of add up to, amount to, be composed of, be contained in, compass, compose, comprehend, constitute, contain, cover, embody, embrace, encircle, enclose, encompass, engross, form, hold, include, incorporate, involve, span,… …   New thesaurus

  • comprise — [kəm prīz′] vt. comprised, comprising [ME comprisen < OFr compris, pp. of comprendre < L comprehendere,COMPREHEND] 1. to include; contain 2. to consist of; be composed of [a nation comprising thirteen states] 3. to make up; form; constitute …   English World dictionary

  • comprise — verb (not in progressive) formal 1 (linking verb) to consist of particular parts, groups etc: The house comprises 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. | be comprised of: The city s population is largely comprised of Asians and Europeans. 2… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Comprise — Wikipedia does not have an encyclopedia article for Comprise (search results). You may want to read Wiktionary s entry on Comprise instead.wiktionary:Special:Search/Comprise …   Wikipedia

  • comprise — /kəmˈpraɪz / (say kuhm pruyz) verb (t) (comprised, comprising) 1. to comprehend; include; contain: an analysis comprising all the data to hand. 2. to consist of; be composed of: *Mr Namaliu said the security forces, which comprise troops, police… …  

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