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member

[mem-ber]
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noun
  1. a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.
  2. Government.
    1. a member of Congress, especially of the House of Representatives.
    2. a member of the British Parliament, especially of the House of Commons.
    3. any member of a legislative body.
  3. a part or organ of an animal body; a limb, as a leg, arm, or wing.
  4. Botany. a structural entity of a plant body.
  5. the penis.
  6. a constituent part of any structural or composite whole, as a subordinate architectural feature of a building.
  7. Mathematics.
    1. either side of an equation.
    2. an element of a set.
  8. Geology. a stratigraphic unit recognized within a formation, and mapped as such.
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adjective
  1. being a member of or having membership in an association, organization, etc.: member countries of the United Nations.
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Origin of member

1250–1300; Middle English membre < Old French < Latin membrum
Related formsmem·ber·less, adjectivesub·mem·ber, noun

Synonyms

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

Related Words

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

Historical Examples

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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
  1. a person who belongs to a club, political party, etc
  2. any individual plant or animal in a taxonomic groupa member of the species
  3. any part of an animal body, such as a limb
  4. another word for penis
  5. any part of a plant, such as a petal, root, etc
  6. maths any individual object belonging to a set or logical class
  7. a distinct part of a whole, such as a proposition in a syllogism
  8. a component part of a building or construction
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Derived Formsmemberless, adjective

Word Origin

C13: from Latin membrum limb, part

Member

noun (sometimes not capital)
  1. short for Member of Parliament
  2. short for Member of Congress
  3. a member of some other legislative body
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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

n.

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.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
member in Medicine

member

(mĕm′bər)
n.
  1. A distinct part of a whole.
  2. A part or an organ of a human or animal body, especially a limb.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
member in Science

member

[mĕm′bər]
  1. Mathematics
  2. A quantity that belongs to a set.
  3. The expression on either side of an equal sign.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.