constitutive

American  

[kon-sti-too-tiv, -tyoo-] / ˈkɒn stɪˌtu tɪv, -ˌtyu- /

adjective

1. constituent; making a thing what it is; essential.

2. having power to establish or enact.

3. Physics, Chemistry. pertaining to a molecular property determined primarily by the arrangement of atoms in the molecule rather than by their nature or number.

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constitutive British  

/ ˈkɒnstɪˌtjuːtɪv /

adjective

1. having power to enact, appoint, or establish

2. chem (of a physical property) determined by the arrangement of atoms in a molecule rather than by their nature

3. biochem (of an enzyme) formed continuously, irrespective of the cell's needs

4. another word for constituent

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Other Word Forms

• constitutively adverb

Etymology

Origin of constitutive

First recorded in 1585–95; constitute + -ive

Example Sentences

"We shall always support anything that all three constitutive peoples agree upon," Vucic said, referring to Bosnia's Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosniaks.

From Reuters

But in Meacham’s treatment, such personal details function as supporting pieces in a story designed around high-stakes campaign speeches, the constitutive ritual of inaugurations and grave moments of statesmanship.

From Washington Post

Rather than seeing federal Indian policy as a constitutive feature of the emerging administrative state, “Indigenous Continent” discounts it, strangely suggesting that “reservations were a sign of American weakness, not strength.”

From Washington Post

Board era, they ask, why and how do race and racism continue to play a constitutive role in America?

From Washington Post

“These measures meet the threshold of acts constitutive of genocide, core international crimes under the Genocide Convention, which prohibits ‘imposing measures intended to prevent births’ among an ethnic or religious group,” the groups said.

From Reuters