constituent

Someone who lives in the area that an elected politician represents.

• The politician met a constituent.
• Her constituents want better public transport.
• He received hundreds of letters from angry constituents.

Common phrases: meet a constituent, local constituent, constituent concerns

One of the parts or substances that make up something.

• We identified each constituent of the mixture.
• The main constituent of the gas is nitrogen.
• Researchers measured the chemical constituents of the soil.

How to use it: constituent of something (Water is a major constituent of the human body.)

Similar words: component, part, element, ingredient

Common phrases: a major constituent, chemical constituent, constituent of something

A word or group of words that works as a single part within a phrase or sentence.

• This noun phrase is a constituent.
• The diagram shows how constituents form a sentence.
• A constituent may contain just one word.

Similar words: syntactic unit

Common phrases: a syntactic constituent, a sentence constituent, constituent structure

Being one of the parts that together make a whole.

• We examined the machine's constituent parts.
• The mixture's constituent elements were listed on the label.
• Each constituent unit has a different role.

Similar words: component

Common phrases: constituent parts, constituent elements, constituent materials

Having the authority to create a country's constitution, the basic rules for how it is governed.

• The constituent assembly met today.
• Delegates to the constituent convention debated the new constitution.
• The elected body was given constituent powers.

Similar words: constitution-making

Common phrases: constituent assembly, constituent power, constituent convention