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constitute

[ kon-sti-toot, -tyoot ]
/ ˈkɒn stɪˌtut, -ˌtyut /
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See synonyms for: constitute / constituted / constitutes / constituting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), con·sti·tut·ed, con·sti·tut·ing.
to compose; form: mortar constituted of lime and sand.
to appoint to an office or function; make or create: He was constituted treasurer.
to establish (laws, an institution, etc.).
to give legal form to (an assembly, court, etc.).
to create or be tantamount to: Imports constitute a challenge to local goods.
Archaic. to set or place.
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Origin of constitute

1400–50; late Middle English <Latin constitūtus (past participle of constituere;see constituent), equivalent to con-con- + -stitūtus, combining form of statūtum, past participle of statuere to set up. See statute

OTHER WORDS FROM constitute

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use constitute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for constitute

constitute
/ (ˈkɒnstɪˌtjuːt) /

verb (tr)
to make up; form; composethe people who constitute a jury
to appoint to an office or functiona legally constituted officer
to set up (a school or other institution) formally; found
law to give legal form to (a court, assembly, etc)
law obsolete to set up or enact (a law)

Derived forms of constitute

constituter or constitutor, noun

Word Origin for constitute

C15: from Latin constituere, from com- (intensive) + statuere to place
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
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