comprise

views updated Jun 08 2018

com·prise / kəmˈprīz/ • v. [tr.] consist of; be made up of: the country comprises twenty states. ∎  make up; constitute: this single breed comprises 50 percent of the Swiss cattle population | (be comprised of) documents are comprised of words.

Comprise

views updated May 18 2018

COMPRISE

To embrace, cover, or include; to confine within; to consist of.

In the law governing patents—grants of an exclusive right or privilege to make, use, or sell an invention or product for a term of years—the term comprise indicates inclusion rather than limitation. When a patent claim states that a particular product is comprised of certain elements, this means that other elements may also be present.

As used in the devise of land, comprise means to contain or embrace. A plot of land may be comprised of a certain number of acres.

comprise

views updated May 14 2018

comprise †lay hold of; comprehend, include. XV. f. F. compris, -ise, pp. of comprendre COMPREHEND, on the analogy of comps. of prendre, of which a sb. and vb. in -prise existed, as enterprise (†emprise), surprise (†supprise).

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Comprise

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