member

American  

[mem-ber] / ˈmɛm bər /

noun

1. a person, animal, plant, group, etc., that is part of a society, party, community, taxon, or other body.

2. Government.

   1. a member of Congress, especially of the House of Representatives.

   2. a member of the British Parliament, especially of the House of Commons.

   3. any member of a legislative body.

3. a part or organ of an animal body; a limb, as a leg, arm, or wing.

4. Botany. a structural entity of a plant body.

5. the penis.

6. a constituent part of any structural or composite whole, as a subordinate architectural feature of a building.

   Synonyms:

   portion, element

7. Mathematics.

   1. either side of an equation.

   2. an element of a set.

8. Geology. a stratigraphic unit recognized within a formation, and mapped as such.

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adjective

1. being a member of or having membership in an association, organization, etc..

   member countries of the United Nations.

Member ¹ British  

/ ˈmɛmbə /

noun

1. short for Member of Parliament

2. short for Member of Congress

3. a member of some other legislative body

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member ² British  

/ ˈmɛmbə /

noun

1. a person who belongs to a club, political party, etc

2. any individual plant or animal in a taxonomic group

   a member of the species

3. any part of an animal body, such as a limb

4. another word for penis

5. any part of a plant, such as a petal, root, etc

6. maths any individual object belonging to a set or logical class

7. a distinct part of a whole, such as a proposition in a syllogism

8. a component part of a building or construction

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member Scientific  

/ mĕm′bər /

1. A quantity that belongs to a set.

2. The expression on either side of an equal sign.

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Other Word Forms

• memberless adjective
• submember noun

Etymology

Origin of member

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English membre, from Old French, from Latin membrum

Example Sentences

The authorities have not yet provided any casualty figures but family members and eyewitnesses told the BBC of four separate deaths in the city.

From BBC

International organizations work only if member states generally agree on core governing principles and are willing to put their military forces behind such principles.

From The Wall Street Journal

NATO’s bedrock is Article V of its founding treaty, which considers an attack on one member state an attack on all.

From The Wall Street Journal

Scotland's friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast were late opportunities Steve Clarke had to assess fringe members of his squad before naming his pool for this summer's World Cup.

From BBC

On Tuesday, a member of the European Commission urged people to work from home, drive less, drive more slowly and fly less.

From BBC

Related Words

• male sex organ
• penis