consist

[verb kuh n-sist; noun kon-sist]

See more synonyms for consist on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to be made up or composed (usually followed by of): This cake consists mainly of sugar, flour, and butter.
to be comprised or contained (usually followed by in): Her charm does not consist only in her beauty.
Archaic. to exist together or be capable of existing together.

Obsolete. to insist; urge.

noun

Railroads.
1. the rolling stock, exclusive of the locomotive, making up a train.
2. a record made of this rolling stock.

Origin of consist

1520–30; < Latin consistere to stand together, stand firm, equivalent to con- con- + sistere to cause to stand, reduplicative v. akin to stāre to stand

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for consisting

dwell, subsist, lie, be, repose, inhere, rest, abide

Examples from the Web for consisting

Contemporary Examples of consisting

Currently, an election “committee” consisting of 1,200 Hongkongers votes for the chief executive.
Occupy Hong Kong Hangs On
Lennox Samuels
September 30, 2014
The series began as a personal project, consisting of portraits of fashion models and actors with their mothers.
Models and Their Mothers
Erin Cunningham
October 9, 2013
The group, consisting of students from grade six to grade 12, just arrived in New York from India last night for a 10-day trip.
New York’s Tourists Are Laughing at Us
Abby Haglage
October 1, 2013
This could be short-term and (relatively) inexpensive, consisting of cruise missiles fired at military targets.
Should We Strike Syria? The Six Best Opinion Columns
Josh Dzieza
August 27, 2013
His paper trail is thin, consisting primarily of more than 90 lawsuits.
The Week’s Best Longreads: The Daily Beast Picks for Feb. 11, 2012
David Sessions
February 11, 2012

Historical Examples of consisting

Pee-wee took his customary eye-opener, consisting of a gumdrop.
Pee-wee Harris
Percy Keese Fitzhugh
The pileus is without a cuticle, consisting of interwoven fibres.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
The hind teeth, consisting of premolars and molars, are used for grinding.
The Meaning of Evolution
Samuel Christian Schmucker
The party was a large one, consisting of five ladies and four gentlemen.
Victor's Triumph
Mrs. E. D. E. N. Southworth
A division of cavalry was organized, consisting of two brigades.
Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman
J. H. (James Harvey) Kidd

British Dictionary definitions for consisting

consist

verb (intr)

(foll by of) to be composed (of); be formed (of)syrup consists of sugar and water
(foll by in or of) to have its existence (in); lie (in); be expressed (by)his religion consists only in going to church
to be compatible or consistent; accord

Word Origin for consist

C16: from Latin consistere to halt, stand firm, from sistere to stand, cause to stand; related to stāre to stand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consisting

consist

1520s, from Middle French consister (14c.) or directly from Latin consistere "to stand firm, take a standing position, stop, halt," from com- "together" (see com-) + sistere "to place," causative of stare "to be standing" (see assist). Related: Consisted; consisting.