constitutive

American  

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

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

Explanation

The word constitutive describes an essential part of a whole, especially physical makeup. Without its constitutive engine, steering wheel, and tires, you don’t really have a car; it's just a box with seats. Just like a government may be based on its constitution, a whole is based on its constitutive parts. Something that is constitutive may also be necessary for a whole to work correctly. Participate in a 24-hour dance-a-thon, and you’ll likely find your legs are constitutive to your success. Constitutive is one of those words that has both general and scientific uses; you might see other senses of the word in both chemistry and biology books.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

constitutive

"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 ● Apr. 15, 2023

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 ● Oct. 5, 2022

The trp operon is constitutive and remains ON by default, whereas the lac operon is repressible and therefore is OFF by default.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

It is constitutive of being human, just as are creativity, courage, ambition, attachment and love.

From The Guardian ● May 7, 2020

Corporeal Substance, Quantity and Extension.—The corporeal substance is an essentially composite substance, resulting from the union of two distinct essential constitutive principles.

From Ontology or the Theory of Being by Coffey, Peter