member

[mem-ber]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR member ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.

Government.

a member of Congress, especially of the House of Representatives.
a member of the British Parliament, especially of the House of Commons.
any member of a legislative body.

a part or organ of an animal body; a limb, as a leg, arm, or wing.

Botany. a structural entity of a plant body.

the penis.

a constituent part of any structural or composite whole, as a subordinate architectural feature of a building.

Mathematics.

either side of an equation.
an element of a set.

Geology. a stratigraphic unit recognized within a formation, and mapped as such.

adjective

being a member of or having membership in an association, organization, etc.: member countries of the United Nations.

Origin of member

1250–1300; Middle English membre < Old French < Latin membrum

Related formsmem·ber·less, adjectivesub·mem·ber, noun

Synonyms for member

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR member ON THESAURUS.COM

6. element, portion.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for member

representative, chapter, division, comrade, parcel, associate, section, component, portion, cut, affiliate, branch, offshoot, constituent, post, piece, segment, unit, joiner, organ

Examples from the Web for member

Contemporary Examples of member

They took cover inside a print works to the north east of Paris, where they held a member of staff as a hostage.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers
Nico Hines
January 9, 2015
What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.
Abramoff’s Advice for Virginia’s New Jailhouse Guv
Tim Mak, Jackie Kucinich
January 7, 2015
Reprinted by arrangement with The Penguin Press, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society
Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch
January 4, 2015
His son, Yaqoob Bizenjo, served as a member of the National Assembly until 2013.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
He may have been relieved to head for Westminster as a Member of Parliament on Oct. 1, 1386.
A Year In The Life of The Canterbury Tales’ Storied Beginnings
Wendy Smith
December 25, 2014

Historical Examples of member

The only member of that household I could marry is not suited to my age.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
Great credit is also due to the second in command, and to every member of the party.
Explorations in Australia
John Forrest
He was a member of the Cabinet, but not of the House of Commons.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook
Miss Hilton, a member of the Overton faculty, would chaperon her.
Grace Harlowe's Return to Overton Campus
Jessie Graham Flower
Fifty years before, on that day, he had been returned to Parliament as member for Newark.
The Grand Old Man
Richard B. Cook

British Dictionary definitions for member

member

noun

a person who belongs to a club, political party, etc

any individual plant or animal in a taxonomic groupa member of the species

any part of an animal body, such as a limb

another word for penis

any part of a plant, such as a petal, root, etc

maths any individual object belonging to a set or logical class

a distinct part of a whole, such as a proposition in a syllogism

a component part of a building or construction

Derived Formsmemberless, adjective

Word Origin for member

C13: from Latin membrum limb, part

Member

noun (sometimes not capital)

short for Member of Parliament

short for Member of Congress

a member of some other legislative body

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 member

late 13c., "sex organ" (cf. Latin membrum virile, but in English originally of women as well as men), also, "body part or organ" (in plural, "the body"), from Old French membre "part, portion; topic, subject; limb, member of the body; member" (of a group, etc.)," 11c., from Latin membrum "limb, member of the body, part," probably from PIE *mems-ro, from root *mems- "flesh, meat" (cf. Sanskrit mamsam "flesh;" Greek meninx "membrane," meros "thigh" (the "fleshy part"); Gothic mimz "flesh"). In English, sense of "person belonging to a group" is first attested early 14c., from notion of "constituent part of a complex structure." Meaning "one who has been elected to parliament" is from early 15c.

member in Medicine