Consist
verbTo be made up of, or to have as an essential feature.
How to spell consist
7 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce consist
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does consist mean?
- verbTo be made up of, or to have as an essential feature.
Consist in a sentence
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The team will consist of four engineers and two designers.
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A healthy breakfast can consist of fruit, yoghurt, and oats.
Where does consist come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word comes from the Latin verb consistere, which literally meant 'to stand together' or 'to stand firm', built from the prefix con- meaning 'together' and sistere meaning 'to cause to stand' or 'to take a stand'. In classical Latin it carried ideas of holding firm, halting, and being made up of parts. English borrowed it in the sixteenth century, at first with senses of standing firm or existing, and it soon settled into the familiar modern meaning of being composed of various elements. The same sistere root sits inside a whole family of English words, such as 'insist', 'persist', and 'resist', all of which share the idea of standing in some way. Remembering that 'sist' means 'to stand' explains why the spelling has a single s in the middle followed by the -ist ending, rather than the doubled letters writers sometimes expect.
How the word is built
- con- (together)
- sist (to stand, from Latin sistere)
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