COM 



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CON 



CoM'rosiTE,from compositiis, compound. 

 In architecture, the composite arch is the 

 pointed or lancet arch ; the composite 

 order forms one of the five architectural 

 orders, and is thus named from its being 

 composed of the Ionic and Corinthian 

 orders. In arithmetic. Composite num- 

 bers are such as can be measured by a 

 number exceeding unity. Thus 12 is 

 measured by 6, 4, 3, and 2. 



COMPOSITION. In grammar, the joining 

 of two words together or prefixing a par- 

 ticle to another word to modify its signi- 

 fication; thus composition is formed of 

 com, from COM, and position from pono, to 

 place. In logic, composition is a method 

 of reasoning by wliich we proceed from 

 a general truth to particular ones. In 

 music, composition is the art of adapting 

 sounds according to the rules of the art, 

 to songs, &c., also the piece of music so 

 composed. In painting, composition de- 

 notes the choice and disposition of the 

 figures of a picture. In commerce, the 

 sum paid by an insolvent debtor to his 

 creditors when the latter agree to take a 

 part of the debt in lieu of the whole. In 

 chemistry, the combination of different 

 substances by affinity. In printing, the 

 act of arranging the types into words, &c. 



COMPO'SITOB. In printing, one who sets 

 types. 



COM'POST, Lat. composta, a mixture ; ap- 

 plied by agriculturists to a composition 

 of various manuring substances. 



COMFOSTEL'LA, ST. JAMES OF, an ancient 

 order of knighthood in Spain. 



COM'POOND, from con and pono, to set; 

 composed of two or more parts : thus a 

 compound word consists of two or more 

 words, as ink-stand. A compound flower 

 consists of several florets inclosed in a 

 common perianth. A C.stem is one which 

 divides into branches. A C. leaf consists 

 of several leaflets. A C. spike consists of 

 several spikelets. A C. umbel has all its 

 peduncles bearing umbelules at the top. 

 A C. fructification consists of several con- 

 fluent florets. C. interest. See INTEREST. 

 C. motion. See MOTION. C. ratio. See 

 RATIO. C. quantity. See QUANTITY. C. 

 affinity. See AFFINITY. 



COM'PRESS. In surgery, soft linen, lint, 

 or other soft substance folded together 

 into a sort of pad, for the purpose of being 

 placed over parts which require pressure. 



COMPRES'SOR. 1. In anatomy, a name 

 given to those muscles which press to- 

 gether the parts on which they act. 



2. In surgery, a name common to an in- 

 strument invented by M. Dupuytren for 

 compressing the femoral artery, and 

 another invented by Nuck, for compress- 

 ing the urethra in cases of incontinence 

 of urine. 



COMPTJROA'TION, from eon and purgo, to 

 purify, a speci'M of wager at law, whereby 



a man is cleared by the oath of others, 

 who swear to their belief of his veracity. 

 The defendant having made oath him- 

 self brings into court a certain number of 

 his neighbours (usually eleven), called 

 pnrgators, who avow on their oaths that 

 they believe that he has affirmed the 

 truth. 



COM3, COOMS, COOMES, OR CHIVES. The 



points of the radicles of malted grain, 

 which drop off during the process of turn- 

 ing. They are sold as malt dust, and are 

 an excellent manure. 



COSA'TUS (Latin) effort: applied to de- 

 signate the tendency which a body has 

 to pursue its course in the same line of 

 direction. 



CONCAMER^'TION, an arched chamber 

 (camera, an avch), applied in conchology 

 to designate those small chambers into 

 which multilocular shells are divided by 

 transverse septa. 



CON'CAVE, Lat. concatus, from raws, a 

 hollow ; depressed in the middle, opposed 

 to convex. 



CONCA'VO-CONCAVE, concare on both 

 sides, as a concave lens. 



CONCA'VO-CONVEX, concave on the one 

 side, and convex on the other, a> a con- 

 cavo-convex lens. 



CONCAV'ITY, from concarf, the internal 

 surface of a hollow spherical or sphe- 

 roidal body. 



CONCEP'TACLE, Lat. conceptaculum . a re- 

 ceptacle ; the vessel which contains the 

 reproductive corpuscles of cryptogamic 

 plants. It is variously named in differ- 

 ent tribes. 



CON'CERT, from con and certo, to strive, 

 a musical performance in which any num- 

 ber of practical musicians unite in the 

 exercise of their talent. 



CONCERTA'NTE (It.), those parts of a 

 musical composition which continue 

 throughout the piece. 



CONCE'RTO (Italian), a musical composi- 

 tion consisting of several parts to be per- 

 formed in concert. 



CONCET'TI (It.), ingenious but misplaced 

 thoughts or terms of expression. 



CONCH, Lat. concha, a marine shell; ap- 

 plied to various objects from their shape. 



CONCHJE, plur. of concha, a shell ; shells 

 consisting of two or more pieces or valves, 

 as bivalves and multivalves. 



CONCH'OID, from xov%ij, a conch, Siid 

 titoi, like. The name of a geometrical 

 curve invented by Nicomedes. 



CONCHOI'DAL, shell-like Used to charac- 

 terise the fracture of minerals, when 

 marked by convex elevations and concave 

 depressions, like the valves of conchse. 



CONCHOL'OOY, from y^j, a shell, and 

 \oytf, science. That branch of natural 

 history which treats of testaceous ani- 

 mals, or animals having a testaceous 



