<B>construct, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to put together; fit together; build; frame. <BR> <I>Ex. to construct the plot of a story. The explorers constructed a raft of logs fastened with tough vines. The ancient Greek temples were constructed mathematically.</I> (SYN) devise. <DD><B> 2. </B>to draw (a geometrical figure) so as to fulfill given conditions. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>an idea or theory resulting from a synthesis of impressions, learned facts, or study, and usually represented in an abstract name; concept. <BR> <I>Ex. Freedom, gravity, ego, and electron are constructs.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Linguistics.) a grammatical construction. noun <B>constructer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="constructible">
<B>constructible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be constructed. </DL>
<A NAME="construction">
<B>construction, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of constructing; building. <BR> <I>Ex. Construction of the bridge took nearly a month. Construction is not limited to man; beavers have mastered both the science and the art.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the way in which a thing is constructed. <BR> <I>Ex. Cracks and leaks are signs of poor construction in a house.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a thing built or put together; structure. <BR> <I>Ex. The doll's house was a construction of wood and cardboard.</I> (SYN) building. <DD><B> 4. </B>the arrangement or relation of words in a sentence, clause, phrase, or other unit. <I>Astern</I> (<I>a- + stern</I>) is a morphological construction; <I>toward the stern</I> is a syntactic construction. <BR> <I>Ex. Petrarch ... indulged his fancy by deliberately reviving Latin words and constructions (H. A. Potter).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>meaning; interpretation. <BR> <I>Ex. He put an unfair construction on what she said because he dislikes her.</I> (SYN) explanation. <DD><B> 6. </B>(Art.) a work of constructivism. </DL>
<A NAME="constructional">
<B>constructional, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with construction; structural. adv. <B>constructionally.</B> </DL>
<B>constructionist, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who gives a certain interpretation to laws, a constitution, or other document. <BR> <I>Ex. a strict or loose constructionist.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=constructivist.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="constructionpaper">
<B>construction paper,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a heavy paper available in various colors, used for crayon drawings, cutouts, paste-ups, and other display. </DL>
<A NAME="constructive">
<B>constructive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>tending to construct; building up; helpful. <BR> <I>Ex. During the experiment the teacher gave some constructive suggestions that prevented accidents.</I> (SYN) formative, shaping. <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with construction; structural. <DD><B> 3. </B>not directly expressed; deduced by interpretation; inferred. <BR> <I>Ex. constructive malice.</I> (SYN) inferential, imputed. adv. <B>constructively.</B> noun <B>constructiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="constructivefraud">
<B>constructive fraud,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> fraud based on a deceptive act or statement which leads the victim to a wrong assumption or conclusion. <BR> <I>Ex. Constructive fraud includes acts or words that tend to mislead others, as when a man sells his automobile without telling the purchaser that the car will run only a few miles without stalling (F. E. Inbau).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="constructiveinterference">
<B>constructive interference,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) the condition of the crests of two waves reaching a point at the same time so that they reinforce one another. </DL>
<A NAME="constructivism">
<B>constructivism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a movement in modern art, originally in painting and later in sculpture and architecture, calling for the use of materials such as glass, wood, paper, and wire, instead of paints, crayons, and the like, and emphasizing the role of art as an instrument for construction. Art in constructivism is typically geometric, massive, and three-dimensional. </DL>
<A NAME="constructivist">
<B>constructivist, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with constructivism; like constructivism. <BR> <I>Ex. an architect by profession, and the creator of a huge and rambling piece of constructivist sculpture (New Yorker).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> a constructivist painter, sculptor, architect, etc.. <BR> <I>Ex. In Moscow, Malevich also was soon experimenting in nonrepresentational painting, with a geometry influenced by cubism, in a course parallel to that of the constructivists, Gabo and Pevsner, in sculpture and in architecture (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="constructor">
<B>constructor, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who constructs; builder. </DL>
<A NAME="construe">
<B>construe, </B>verb, <B>-strued,</B> <B>-struing,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to show the meaning of; explain; interpret. <BR> <I>Ex. Different lawyers may construe the same law differently.</I> (SYN) expound. <DD><B> 2. </B>to put a particular interpretation on. <BR> <I>Ex. His inability to hold a job can only be construed as indifference.</I> (SYN) understand, take. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Grammar.) <DD><B> a. </B>to analyze the arrangement or relation of words in (a sentence, clause, phrase, or other unit). <DD><B> b. </B>to combine (words) syntactically. <BR> <I>Ex. In Latin some prepositions are construed with the dative case.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B><B>=translate.</B> (SYN) render. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to analyze grammatical relationships. <DD><B> 2. </B>to admit of grammatical analysis or interpretation. <DD><I>noun </I> a construing of a sentence, passage, or the like, especially as an exercise in studying a foreign language; translation. adj. <B>construable.</B> noun <B>construer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="consubstantial">
<B>consubstantial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of one and the same substance, essence, or nature. adv. <B>consubstantially.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="consubstantiality">
<B>consubstantiality, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> identity of substance, especially of the three Persons of the Trinity. </DL>
<A NAME="consubstantiate">
<B>consubstantiate, </B>verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to profess the doctrine of consubstantiation. <DD><B> 2. </B>to become united in one common substance or nature. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to unite in one common substance or nature. </DL>
<A NAME="consubstantiation">
<B>consubstantiation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the substantial union of the body and blood of Christ with the bread and wine of the Eucharist. <DD><B> 2. </B>the doctrine that this union occurs. </DL>
<A NAME="consuetude">
<B>consuetude, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>custom recognized as having legal force. <DD><B> 2. </B>custom; usage; habit. </DL>
<B>consul, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an official appointed by a government to live in a foreign city. A consul looks after the business interests of his own country and protects citizens of his country who are traveling or living there. <DD><B> 2. </B>either of the two chief magistrates of the ancient Roman republic. <DD><B> 3. </B>one of the three chief magistrates of the French republic from 1799 to 1804. </DL>
<A NAME="consular">
<B>consular, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or belonging to a consul. <BR> <I>Ex. The ambassadorial conversations will go beyond the consular discussion (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>serving as a consul; having the duties of a consul. <BR> <I>Ex. the consular representative of the United States at Liverpool.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="consularagent">
<B>consular agent,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> an official acting as a consul at a place of little commercial importance. </DL>
<A NAME="consulate">
<B>consulate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the official residence or the offices of a consul. <BR> <I>Ex. The Canadian consulate in New York is on Fifth Avenue.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the duties, authority, and position of a consul. <DD><B> 3. </B>the term of office of a consul. <DD><B> 4. </B>Often, <B>Consulate.</B> government by consuls. France was governed by a consulate from 1799 to 1804. </DL>
<A NAME="consulategeneral">
<B>consulate general,</B> pl. <B>consulates general.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the official residence, offices, or jurisdiction of a consul general. </DL>
<A NAME="consulgeneral">
<B>consul general,</B> pl. <B>consuls general.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a consul of the highest rank. He is stationed at an important place or has authority over several other consuls. </DL>
<A NAME="consulship">
<B>consulship, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the duties, authority, and position of a consul. <DD><B> 2. </B>a consul's term of office. </DL>
<A NAME="consult">
<B>consult, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to seek information or advice from; refer to. <BR> <I>Ex. Consult a dictionary for the meaning of a word. The boy's mother consulted his teacher to learn why his grades were poor.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to take into consideration; have regard for. <BR> <I>Ex. A good ruler consults the interests and feelings of his people.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) to plan; devise; contrive. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to exchange ideas; talk things over; confer. <BR> <I>Ex. He consulted with his lawyer before signing the contract.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> consultation. adj. <B>consultable.</B> </DL>
