constituent
/kənˈstɪtjʊənt
/adjective [attributive]
1Being a part of a whole: the constituent minerals of the rock...
- If the whole really is greater than the sum of the constituent parts, maybe these lesser parts would be more on my level.
- The condition applies to the whole of the car parking accommodation and to its constituent parts.
- In other words, the whole can be understood by separating and defining its constituent parts, as a chemist might seek to explain life by its molecular structure.
Synonyms
component, integral;
elemental, basic, essential, inherent
rare integrant
2Being a voting member of an organization and having the power to appoint or elect: the constituent body has a right of veto...
- The presidency of the association is a one-year position elected by the constituent members.
- Under existing election rules, a constituent district elects several lawmakers, allowing some to enter office on off-beat campaign platforms.
- It is the collective product of the community, to which all its constituent members have jointly contributed.
2.1Able to make or change a political constitution: a constituent assembly...
- The agreement also marks a reversal for the political parties, which previously rejected the idea of a constituent assembly.
- One of the new government's first steps was to turn the lower house of parliament into a constituent assembly in order to adopt a new constitution strongly orientated in favour of Buddhism, and the Sinhala language.
- By 25 April 1949, the West German constituent assembly had drafted a new Basic Law, thereby defeating Soviet aims.
noun
1A member of an area which elects a representative to a legislative body: the MP is playing on his constituents' sense of regional identity to win votes...
- They said the terms in office of legislators depended solely on the acceptance of their constituents who elected their representatives every five years.
- MPs begin to believe that they were elected to represent their constituents within the party caucus, rather than in the House of Commons itself.
- We would be very surprised if such a general practice were not welcome to Members of Parliament whose constituents have died in such circumstances.
Synonyms
voter, elector, member of the electorate, member of a constituency
2A component part of something: the essential constituents of the human diet...
- Although some essential oils have only a few main constituents, the minor components generally determine the characteristic aroma.
- Herbs, of course, have huge numbers of components, or constituents.
- Finally, we could move to a culture where public opinion is seen as an essential constituent of progress - rather than as an impediment.
Synonyms
component, component part, ingredient, element;
part, piece, bit, integral part, unit, module, fragment, section, segment, portion
rare integrant
Origin
Late 15th century (as a noun denoting a person who appoints another as agent): from Latin constituent- (partly via French constituant) 'establishing, appointing', from the verb constituere (see constitute).