constant

Etymology

From Middle English constant, from Old French constant, from Latin constantem, accusative of constans, from constare (“to stand firm”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnstənt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnstənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

constant (comparative more constant, superlative most constant)

1. Unchanged through time or space; permanent.
2. Consistently recurring over time; persistent.
   • 2013 November 16, Schumpeter, “The mindfulness business”, in The Economist, volume 409, number 8862:

     The constant pinging of electronic devices is driving many people to the end of their tether. Electronic devices not only overload the senses and invade leisure time. They feed on themselves: the more people tweet the more they are rewarded with followers and retweets.

3. Steady in purpose, action, feeling, etc.
   • Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)

     Both loving one fair maid, they yet remained constant friends.

   • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)

     I am constant to my purposes.

   • John Dryden (1631-1700)

     His gifts, his constant courtship, nothing gained.

4. Firm; solid; not fluid.
   • Robert Boyle (1627-1691)

     If […] you mix them, you may turn these two fluid liquors into a constant body.

5. (obsolete) Consistent; logical.
   • Shakespeare, Twelfth Night IV.ii

     I am no more mad than you are: make the trial of it with any constant question.

Noun

constant (plural constants)

1. That which is permanent or invariable.
2. (algebra) A quantity that remains at a fixed value throughout a given discussion.
3. (sciences) Any property of an experiment, determined numerically, that does not change under given circumstances.
4. (computing) An identifier that is bound to an invariant value; a fixed value given a name to aid in readability of source code.

Related terms

• constantly adv
• constancy noun

See also

• (computing) literal

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

constant (masculine and feminine plural constants)

1. constant

Noun

constant f (plural constants)

1. constant

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃s.tɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophone: constants

Adjective

constant (feminine singular constante, masculine plural constants, feminine plural constantes)

1. constant

Further reading

• “constant” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Verb

cōnstant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of cōnstō