consist
verb /kənˈsɪst 
/ [no object]
/ [no object]1 (consist of) Be composed or made up of: the crew consists of five men...
- This consisted of three to five men who were all loyal to the king and hand-picked by him to serve him.
- It was spread over two days and consisted of five papers in all, each of which was two and a half hours long.
- Actually I was presenting evidence which consisted of others presenting an argument.
Synonyms
be composed, be made up, be formed;
comprise, contain, include, incorporate, embody, involve, embrace
1.1 (consist in) Have as an essential feature: his poetry consisted in the use of emotive language...
- They essentially consist in transferring power from nature to man, leaving nature degraded and depleted in the process.
- Essentially, the security work consisted in constructing a netting barrier around the top of the entire perimeter of wooden fencing, about six inches from the top and projecting inwards by about eighteen inches.
- In all cases, however, the exchange of information, from person to person, is essential, even if it consists in the giving of orders.
Synonyms
exist, subsist, inhere, be inherent, lie, reside, have its existence/being, be present, be contained;
be expressed by, have as its main feature
2 (consist with) archaic Be consistent with: the information perfectly consists with our friend’s account...
- But in advocating for workplace based ALP branches and placing responsibilities on all MPs to engage with union activists on a regular basis, the review is broadly consisting with the union movement's own modernisation agenda.
- The experimental evidence demonstrates the absence of a link between the two biochemical pathways, consisting with the chemiosmotic theory.
- So in geology we are nearest to discovering the true causes of the revolutions of the globe, when we allow them to consist with a quiescent state of the elements.
noun /ˈkɒnsɪst /
/A set of railway vehicles forming a complete train: to turn an entire consist requires a wye...
- I have to get back to my room and get my coat so that I can hit the platform and record the consist.
- I also noticed a Virginia Railway Express consist with the new bi-level cars, similar to Tri-Rail in Florida.
Origin
Late Middle English (in the sense 'be located or inherent in'): from Latin consistere 'stand firm or still, exist', from con- 'together' + sistere 'stand (still)'.
Fron Latin consistere ‘stand firm or still, exist’, sistere ‘set, stand (still), stop’, also the source of assist (Late Middle English) originally ‘take your stand’; desist (Late Middle English) ‘stand down, stop’; exist (early 17th century) ‘come into being’, literally ‘stand out’; insist (late 16th century) ‘stand upon [an argument]’; and resist (Late Middle English) ‘stand back or against’.