constitutif

Constitutif is a French adjective meaning forming part of a whole, essential, or constitutive. It is used to describe elements that are indispensable to the identity or function of something, such as éléments constitutifs or caractère constitutif. It derives from Latin constituere.

In philosophy and social sciences, the term describes processes, rules, or practices that help constitute a system or institution. For example, règles constitutives define what counts as a particular kind of action and are essential to the existence of institutions. The idea is that certain structures are not merely observed but actively created by these constitutive rules and practices.

In biology and genetics, expression constitutive refers to genes that are continuously expressed, regardless of environmental conditions. Gènes constitutifs or housekeeping genes denote stable, ongoing expression that supports basic cellular function, contrasting with inducible or regulated expression.

In linguistics and related disciplines, constitutif describes elements that belong to the internal structure of a sentence or phrase. Éléments constitutifs are the components that make up a syntactic unit, such as subjects, predicates, or modifiers, depending on the theoretical framework.

Overall, constitutif signals that a feature or component is not optional or incidental but plays a foundational role in what is being described. The term is widely used across disciplines to denote essential makeup or construction rather than mere outcome.