constituted

Constituted is the past participle of constitute, meaning to form, establish, or bring into being. It can function as an adjective indicating something that has been formed or set up, or as a verb describing the action of forming. The word derives from Latin constituere, literally “to set up” or “to place together.”

As a verb form, constituted describes something that has been formed or established by a particular authority or process. For example, a committee may be constituted of ten members, or a body may be constituted by a legislative act. In legal and political contexts, constituted often emphasizes formal creation or organization by law, authority, or official procedure. It can also be used to describe how a group is composed, though more common modern phrasing tends to use “composed of” or “made up of.”

Usage notes: While “constituted of” appears in some contexts, many writers and style guides consider it less idiomatic than “constituted by” or alternatives such as “composed of” or “made up of” when describing makeup. The sense of the term is closely tied to formal establishment or organization, rather than casual aggregation.

See also: constitute, constitution, constitutional, composed of.