immediate constituent

noun

, Grammar.

1. one of the usually two largest constituents of a construction: The immediate constituents of He ate his dinner are he and ate his dinner; of ate his dinner are ate and his dinner; etc. : IC

immediate constituent

noun

1. a constituent of a linguistic construction at the first step in an analysis; for example, the immediate constituents of a sentence are the subject and the predicate

Word History and Origins

Origin of immediate constituent¹

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

An investigation by Public Citizen concluded that the vast majority of spending between 2012 and 2018 did not benefit “immediate constituent needs.”

From Washington Post

Gray spent the largest portion of his fund — 72 percent — on “immediate constituent needs” from 2012 through 2018, Public Citizen found.

From Washington Post

His immediate constituents were with him in feeling and action.

From Project Gutenberg

Compound radicals came to be regarded as the immediate constituents of organic compounds; and, at first, a determination of their empirical composition was supposed to be sufficient to characterize them.

From Project Gutenberg

His immediate constituents, at their primary meetings, repeatedly sent up a cheering voice in strong and earnest resolutions, approving heartily his course, and urging him to, perseverance therein.

From Project Gutenberg