To form, establish, or make up something; to be the essential parts of something.
From Latin 'constituere' meaning 'to establish' or 'to set up,' combining 'com-' (together) and 'statuere' (to set or place). The meaning evolved from 'setting up' to 'making up or forming.'
When people say 'women constitute 51% of the population,' they're using this word perfectly—it means these people literally make up that percentage, and the Latin root 'statuere' (to place) shows that groups are 'placed together' to form the whole.
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