constitués

Constitués is a French term formed from the verb constituer and used either as an adjective or, less commonly, as a plural noun. As an adjective, constitué means formed, established, or constituted. It is typical in formal, legal, or administrative language to describe bodies or groups that have been created and empowered, such as organes constitués (constituted bodies) or pouvoirs constitués (constituted powers).

When used as a noun in the plural, les constitues (or more often just constitues in context) designates the people or entities that have been formed into a body, for example the members of a council or assembly after its creation. The expression contrasts with terms referring to the act of forming or to those who create a constitution, such as les constituants (the constituent powers or the constituencies, depending on context). The singular form is constitué, the feminine constitutée, and both agree with the noun they modify.

Usage and nuance: constitué emphasizes the status resulting from formation or establishment, rather than the act of formation itself. It appears mainly in legal, administrative, or historical writing. In everyday French, speakers more commonly use phrases like les membres de l’assemblée or les organes constitués to refer to formed bodies, rather than the bare noun constitues.

Etymology: from Latin constituere, meaning to set up or to establish. Related terms include constituer (to constitute), constitution, and constitutif (constitutive).