constitutive
/ˌkɒnsˈtɪtuːˌtɪv/kon-STIH-too-tiv
/ˌkɑnsˈtɪtuˌtɪv/kahn-STIH-too-tiv
Meaningsetting up together
Common meaning: making up the basic nature of a thing
- conwith, together; thoroughly
- stitto stand, be upright or stillLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1762 · scan
- utstem link
- iveadjective ending: tending to
‘with, together’ + ‘to stand, be upright or still’ → constitutive
Journey through time
- Latinstō, stetī, statum‘to stand, be upright or still’
- Englishconstitutive‘making up the basic nature of a thing’ · today
con- also in: convexconveyconcaveconcealconcede
stit also in: stanzastatussubstancethermostatsubstandard
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin stō ‘to stand, be upright or still’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry stō, p. 1762 · dictionary scan
Roots
- stō, stetī, statum Latin “to stand, be upright or still”
Related words
circumstancedistantinstanceintersticeirresistiblenonresistanceobstaclestanzastatussubstancesubstandardthermostat
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