comprise

The word “comprise” means to consist of or be made up of particular parts. In plain terms, to be composed of certain parts, or (less strictly) for those parts to make up the whole.

“Comprise” is pronounced kuhm-PRYZ (/kəmˈpɹaɪz/ in IPA).

Here is “comprise” used in a sentence: “The committee comprises twelve elected members.”

Words with a similar meaning to “comprise” include make up.

“Comprise” is a verb.

The word “comprise” comes from Latin. From Old French comprendre ("to include"), ultimately from Latin comprehendere — see "comprehend.".

“Comprise” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

“Comprise” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to consist of or be made up of particular parts.

"Comprise" means the whole consists of its parts, so the subject is the whole thing ("The team comprises five players"). "Compose" works the opposite way, with the parts as the subject ("Five players compose the team"). Mixing them up, as in "comprised of," is common but considered nonstandard by many style guides.

Many usage guides consider "comprised of" incorrect because "comprise" already means "to consist of," making "of" redundant. The traditionally correct forms are "the whole comprises the parts" or "the whole is composed of the parts." That said, "comprised of" is widely used in everyday speech and writing despite the objection.

Not quite: "comprise" implies a complete listing of all the parts that make up a whole, while "include" only implies some of the parts, not necessarily all of them. Saying a book "comprises ten chapters" means it has exactly ten, whereas "includes ten chapters" leaves open whether there are more.