con·stit·u·ent 
(kən-stĭch-ənt)
(kən-stĭch-ənt)adj.
1. Serving as part of a whole; component: a constituent element.
2. Empowered to elect or designate.
3. Authorized to make or amend a constitution: a constituent assembly.
n.
1. A constituent part; a component. See Synonyms at element.
2. A resident of a district or member of a group represented by an elected official.
3. One that authorizes another to act as a representative; a client.
4. A structural unit, such as a verb, noun phrase, or clause, in a grammatical construction.
[Latin cōnstituēns, cōnstituent-, present participle of cōnstituere, to set up; see CONSTITUTE. N., from French, from Latin cōnstituēns, from present participle of cōnstituere.]
con·stitu·ent·ly adv.