Word Study
constituent
CIDE DICTIONARY
constituent, a. [L. constituens, -entis, p. pr. See Constitute.].
- Serving to form, compose, or make up; elemental; component. [1913 Webster]"Body, soul, and reason are the three parts necessarily constituent of a man." [1913 Webster]
- Having the power of electing or appointing. [1913 Webster]"A question of right arises between the constituent and representative body." [1913 Webster]
constituent, n.
- The person or thing which constitutes, determines, or constructs. [1913 Webster]"Their first composure and origination require a higher and nobler constituent than chance." [1913 Webster]
- That which constitutes or composes, as a part, or an essential part; a component; an element. [1913 Webster]"We know how to bring these constituents together, and to cause them to form water." [1913 Webster]
- One for whom another acts; especially, one who is represented by another in a legislative assembly; -- correlative to
representative . [1913 Webster]"The electors in the district of a representative in Congress, or in the legislature of a State, are termed his constituents." [1913 Webster]"To appeal from the representatives to the constituents." [1913 Webster] - A person who appoints another to act for him as attorney in fact. Burrill. [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
constituent, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 composing or helping to make up a whole.
2 able to make or change a (political etc.) constitution (constituent assembly).
3 appointing or electing.
--n.
1 a member of a constituency (esp. political).
2 a component part.
3 Law a person who appoints another as agent.
--adj.
1 composing or helping to make up a whole.
2 able to make or change a (political etc.) constitution (constituent assembly).
3 appointing or electing.
--n.
1 a member of a constituency (esp. political).
2 a component part.
3 Law a person who appoints another as agent.
Etymology
L constituent- partly through F -ant (as constitute)
THESAURUS
constituent
ab ovo, adjunct, adoptive, air, appointive, appurtenance, aspect, atom, atomic particles, basal, basic, brute matter, building block, census, chemical element, choosing, choosy, circumstance, component, composition, constituents, constitutive, content, contents, detail, discriminating, division, divisions, earth, eclectic, elective, electoral, element, elemental, elementary, elementary particle, elementary unit, elements, essential, factor, feature, fire, fixings, formative, fraction, fundamental, fundamental particle, gut, guts, hyle, hypostasis, index, ingredient, ingredients, innards, insides, integral, integrant, inventory, item, items, list, makings, material, material world, materiality, matter, molecule, monad, natural world, nature, of the essence, original, part, part and parcel, particular, parts, physical world, plenum, portion, primal, primary, primitive, radical, selecting, selective, specialty, stuff, substance, substantial, substantive, substratum, the four elements, underlying, unit of being, water, wholeROGET THESAURUS
constituent
Component
N component, component part, integral part, integrant part, element, constituent, ingredient, leaven, part and parcel, contents, appurtenance, feature, member, personnel, forming, inclusive.For further exploring for "constituent" in Webster Dictionary Online
