composite order: see Corinthian order.

composite material or composite, any material made from at least two discrete substances, such as concrete. Many materials are produced as composites, such as the fiberglass-reinforced plastics used for automobile bodies and boat hulls, but the term usually is used to describe any of various modern industrially manufactured composites, such as carbon fiber-reinforced plastics. Composite materials allow a blending of properties of the separate components. Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics combine the high strength and stiffness of the fiber with the low weight and resistance to fracture of the polymeric matrix. Glass, wood, and other kinds of fibers are also used, and the fibers may be layered or woven. Other modern composites include wood fiber or chunks in a concrete matrix and silicon carbide, a ceramic, in a titanium matrix.

composite, alternate common name for Asteraceae or Compositae, the aster family.

Solid material that results when two or more substances are combined (physically, not chemically) to create a new material whose properties are superior in a specific application to those of the original substances. The term specifically refers to a structural matrix (such as plastic) within which a fibrous material (such as silicon carbide) is embedded. Fibreglass-reinforced plastic is the best-known composite. Because of their stiffness, lightness, and heat resistance, composites are the materials of choice in numerous structural, reinforcing, and high-performance applications.

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