Composure
/kəmˈpoʊ.ʒər/noun
A calm, self-controlled state of mind or manner.
Did you know?Composure comes from the same Latin root as *compose*, meaning to “put together,” so the word originally carries the eerie idea of making your inner self into a deliberate arrangement.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
componere
“to put together, arrange, assemble”
Late Latin
Latin
compositus
“put together, arranged; settled, orderly”
Old French
Old French
composure
“arrangement, settlement, composition”
14th–16th Century
English
composicioun / composure
“arrangement, composition; later, calmness or self-possession”
Modern English
English
composure
“self-control and calmness in demeanor”