In heraldry, describing a border or line composed of alternating rectangular pieces of contrasting colors or tinctures.
From Old French 'componé', meaning 'composed' or 'made up of parts', derived from Latin 'componere' (to put together). The term became technical heraldic vocabulary by the medieval period.
Heraldry is obsessed with describing exactly how lines and shapes look, so 'compone' emerged to describe the distinctive checkerboard-like border pattern. Medieval heralds had to communicate designs precisely, so they invented exact terms for each variation.
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