comprise

Everyday

1. (formal) To be made up of certain parts; to consist of. tree →
2. (formal) To make up or form a whole (this use is common but some people think it is wrong). tree →

In the lessons

A formal exam and report word: "the class comprises 15 boys and 12 girls" means the class is made of them, so there are 27 children. Phrases: comprise of (disputed), be comprised of.

Examples

• The class comprises 15 boys and 12 girls. tree →
• The team comprises eleven players. tree →
• A week comprises seven days. tree →
• The house comprises three bedrooms and a kitchen. tree →
• The test comprised twenty questions. tree →
• Water is comprised of hydrogen and oxygen. tree →
• The sword was the sword of Murakumo, one of the three sacred treasures which comprise the insignia of the Imperial House of Japan. tree →

Note

Strict rule: "comprises" without "of" (the whole comprises the parts). "Is comprised of" is common but criticised; "consists of" is safer. In maths, "comprises" lists the parts that add up to the whole: add them to find the total.

In Jewish tradition

A formal exam and report word: "the class comprises 15 boys and 12 girls" means the class is made of them, so there are 27 children. Phrases: comprise of (disputed), be comprised of.

Examples

• Heaven was created from fire or ether; the earth (comprising sea and land) from the elementary water; and the atmospheric air from the elementary air, or spirit, which establishes the balance among them. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• 7) Like Pythagoras, who taught that the digits inclusive number ten which are typified in Tetraktys, (Τετρακτὺς) namely: 1 plus 2 plus 3 plus 4 equal 10, and which comprise the whole arithmetical system of nature, etc. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Strict rule: "comprises" without "of" (the whole comprises the parts). "Is comprised of" is common but criticised; "consists of" is safer. In maths, "comprises" lists the parts that add up to the whole: add them to find the total.