immediate constituent

American  

noun

Grammar.

1. one of the usually two largest constituents of a construction: The immediate constituents of He ate his dinner are he and ate his dinner; of ate his dinner are ate and his dinner; etc. IC

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immediate constituent British  

noun

1. a constituent of a linguistic construction at the first step in an analysis; for example, the immediate constituents of a sentence are the subject and the predicate

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Etymology

Origin of immediate constituent

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

immediate constituent

Some opponents question whether resources would be better directed toward immediate constituent needs such as healthcare, housing, and living costs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2025

Hartley's analysis of the moral sense is a great advance upon Hobbes and Mandeville, who make self-love the immediate constituent, instead of a remote cause, of conscience.

From Moral Science; a Compendium of Ethics by Alexander Bain