compositor
1
8.8
- noun
- /kəmˈpɒzɪtər/
- Archaic
:
compositor
- Also displayed on the platform are important large artifacts, such as the type case Twain worked at in his brother's print shop and the Paige Compositor that was his investing downfall.
Examples
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But the ornament serves more than this aesthetic function, since it also makes legible on the surface of the page the compositor's deliberations.
Academic text (2017) -
To change a compositor's tools and machinery of work was to challenge the very basis of his self-definition as a skilled craftsman.
Academic text (2016) -
Again, the story is told more fully for compositors than for press-machinists.
Academic text (2016) -
If we turn our attention to the beginning of Chapter V, we see that the compositor is met with a stiff challenge in the face of a large initial letter that essentially cuts the line in half.
Academic text (2017) -
Importantly, this technological change was experienced neither as emasculating for press machinists nor as dramatic deskilling, unlike their compositor counterparts.
Academic text (2016) -
In the face of two equally unpalatable options, the compositor decides on a makeshift: dispensing with the leaf ornament altogether.
Academic text (2017) -
The compositor arranged the type carefully to ensure the printed book would look professional.
-
As a skilled compositor, she took pride in her ability to create visually appealing layouts for magazines.
-
The compositor used precise measurements to align the text perfectly on the page for the upcoming publication.
Synonyms
4
7.2
A person who arranges letters and text to make pages for printing
2
5.9
A person or machine that puts text and pictures on a page for printing
1
7.3
A person who designs how letters and words look on a page or screen
A person who arranges letters for printed pages
How Skilled
Surface Forms
Morphology
compositor = compose (semi-transparent) = composit + or
Formed from the verb 'compose' plus an agentive suffix; the relation is visible though the occupational sense (typesetter) is specialized and reflects historical formation.
Etymology
Compositor comes from the same root as compose and composition, from Latin parts com- 'together' and ponere 'to put'. So a compositor is literally 'one who puts things together', which fits a person who arranges letters and type for printing.