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Webster 1913 Edition

Consist

Con-sist′

(kŏn-sĭst′)
,
Verb.
I.
[
imp. & p. p.
Consisted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Consisting
.]
[L.
consistere
to stand still or firm;
con-
+
sistere
to stand, cause to stand,
stare
to stand: cf. F.
consister
. See
Stand
.]
1.
To stand firm; to be in a fixed or permanent state, as a body composed of parts in union or connection; to hold together; to be; to exist; to subsist; to be supported and maintained.
He is before all things, and by him all things
consist
.
Col. i. 17.
2.
To be composed or made up; – followed by
of
.
The land would
consist
of plains and valleys.
T. Burnet.
3.
To have as its substance or character, or as its foundation; to be; – followed by in.
If their purgation did
consist
in words.
Shakespeare
A man’s life
consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth
.
Luke xii. 15.
4.
To be consistent or harmonious; to be in accordance; – formerly used absolutely, now followed by with.
This was a
consisting
story.
Bp. Burnet.
Health
consists
with temperance alone.
Pope.
For orders and degrees
Jar not with liberty, but well
consist
.
Milton.
Syn. –
To Consist
,
Consist of
,
Consist in
.
The verb consist is employed chiefly for two purposes, which are marked and distinguished by the prepositions used. When we wish to indicate the parts which unite to compose a thing, we use of; as when we say, “Macaulay's Miscellanies consist chiefly of articles which were first published in the Edinburgh Review.” When we wish to indicate the true nature of a thing, or that on which it depends, we use in; as, “There are some artists whose skill consists in a certain manner which they have affected.” “Our safety consists in a strict adherence to duty.”

Webster 1828 Edition

Consist

CONSIST

,
Verb.
I.
[L., to stand.]
1.
To stand together; to be in a fixed or permanent state, as a body composed of parts in union or connection. Hence, to be; to exist; to subsist; to be supported and maintained.
He was before all things, and by him all things consist. Colossians 1.
2.
To stand or be; to lie; to be contained; followed by in.
The beauty of epistolary writing consists in case and freedom.
3.
To be composed; followed by of.
A landscape should consist of a variety of scenery.
To consist together, to coexist; to have being concurrently.
Necessity and election cannot consist together in the same act.
To consist with, to agree; to be in accordance with; to be compatible.
Health consists with temperance alone.

Definition 2024

consist

consist

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) enPR: kənsĭst', IPA(key): /kənˈsɪst/

Verb

consist ‎(third-person singular simple present consists, present participle consisting, simple past and past participle consisted)

  1. (obsolete, intransitive) To exist, to be.
  2. (intransitive) To be comprised or contained in.
  3. (intransitive) To be composed, formed, or made up of.
    The greeting package consists of some brochures, a pen, and a notepad.‎
    • 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 6, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
      The men resided in a huge bunk house, which consisted of one room only, with a shack outside where the cooking was done. In the large room were a dozen bunks ; half of them in a very dishevelled state, […].
    • 2013 July 19, Timothy Garton Ash, “Where Dr Pangloss meets Machiavelli”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 6, page 18:
      Hidden behind thickets of acronyms and gorse bushes of detail, a new great game is under way across the globe. Some call it geoeconomics, but it's geopolitics too. The current power play consists of an extraordinary range of countries simultaneously sitting down to negotiate big free trade and investment agreements.
Synonyms
Derived terms
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Translations

Etymology 2

From consist (verb).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkɒn.sɪst/

Noun

consist ‎(plural consists)

  1. (rail transport) A lineup or sequence of railroad carriages or cars, with or without a locomotive, that form a unit.
    The train's consist included a baggage car, four passenger cars, and a diner.
Synonyms
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Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle French consister, from Latin consistō ‎(“stand together, stop, become hard or solid, agree with, continue, exist”), from com- ‎(“together”) + sistō ‎(“I cause to stand, stand”).

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