Existent

How to spell existent

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce existent

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does existent mean?

1. adjectiveHaving actual being; present in reality at this time.

Existent in a sentence

• The auditors reviewed every existent account before drawing conclusions.

• The survey mapped the existent road network rather than any planned extensions.

Where does existent come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb exsistere, which literally meant 'to step forth' or 'to stand out', built from the prefix ex- 'out' and sistere 'to take a stand' or 'to come to a stand'. From that physical image of standing forth into view, the verb came to mean 'to come into being' or 'to exist'. The present participle exsistentem gave the adjective form, describing something that 'is standing forth', that is, something that has being. English absorbed it in the early seventeenth century, sitting alongside the more common verb 'exist' and the noun 'existence'. The spelling trap lives in the unstressed ending: the second vowel is a schwa, so writers must remember it is spelled -ent rather than the equally faint-sounding -ant, and that the middle keeps the same -ist- as in 'exist'.

How the word is built

• exist- (from Latin exsistere: to stand forth, come into being)
• -ent (adjective suffix meaning 'being in a state of')