composition fee

Originally from an obsolete sense of composition, “payment to settle an obligation”, from Medieval Latin compositiō (“payment made in amends or settlement”), see citations; compare legal sense of compound, “settle with a smaller payment than the claim”. Later reanalysed in some cases as meaning “aggregate”.

composition fee (plural composition fees)

1. (chiefly law) A payment of amends or to acquire a certain privilege, (universities) a tuition fee.
   • 1845, Erasmus Wilson, The History of the Middlesex Hospital during the First Century of its Existence, page 4:

     The subscribers of three guineas per annum were to be called governors, and were permitted to pay a composition fee of twenty guineas to obtain the privilege of life governor.

   • 1974, Thean Soo Lim; Sukumaran Nair; S. Mohd Razak, The Impact of Customs, Republic of Singapore, page 38:

     The maximum composition fee for an offence was raised from six hundred to a thousand dollars.

   • 2009, Statutes and Ordinances of the University of Cambridge, →ISBN, page 159:

     Payment of a University Composition Fee under these regulations shall entitle a matriculated student without additional fee ¶ (a) to attend any course within the University which is listed in the table of fees attached to these regulations […]

• letter of composition