4 definitions found

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

constituent

adjective: constitutional in the structure of something (especially your physical makeup) [syn: {constituent(a)}, {constitutional}, {constitutive(a)}, {organic}]

noun

1: an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system; "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system" [syn: {component}, {element}]

2: a member of a constituency; a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes; "needs continued support by constituents to be re-elected"

3: (grammar) a word or phrase or clause forming part of a larger grammatical construction [syn: {grammatical constituent}]

4: an abstract part of something; "jealousy was a component of his character"; "two constituents of a musical composition are melody and harmony"; "the grammatical elements of a sentence"; "a key factor in her success"; "humor: an effective ingredient of a speech" [syn: {component}, {element}, {factor}, {ingredient}]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Constituent \Con*stit"u*ent\, noun

1. The person or thing which constitutes, determines, or constructs.

Their first composure and origination require a higher and nobler constituent than chance. --Sir M. Hale

2. That which constitutes or composes, as a part, or an essential part; a component; an element.

We know how to bring these constituents together, and to cause them to form water. --Tyndall.

3. One for whom another acts; especially, one who is represented by another in a legislative assembly; -- correlative to representative.

The electors in the district of a representative in Congress, or in the legislature of a State, are termed his constituents. --Abbot.

To appeal from the representatives to the constituents. --Macaulay.

4. (Law) A person who appoints another to act for him as attorney in fact. --Burrill.

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:

Constituent \Con*stit"u*ent\ (k[o^]n*st[ict]t"[-u]*[-e]nt), adjective [L. constituens, -entis, p. pr. See {Constitute}.]

1. Serving to form, compose, or make up; elemental; component.

Body, soul, and reason are the three parts necessarily constituent of a man. --Dryden.

2. Having the power of electing or appointing.

A question of right arises between the constituent and representative body. --Junius.

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

97 Moby Thesaurus words for "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, whole

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