constant

English

Etymology

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

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.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:continuous

   • 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.
   • c. 1580 (date written), Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “ Chapter 3”, in Fulke Greville, Matthew Gwinne, and John Florio, editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC; republished in Albert Feuillerat, editor, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia (Cambridge English Classics: The Complete Works of Sir Philip Sidney; I), Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: University Press, 1912, →OCLC, page 162:

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

   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     I am constant to my purposes.

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, “Theodore and Honoria, from Boccace”, in Fables Ancient and Modern; , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC:

     His gifts, his constant courtship, nothing gained.

4. Firm; solid; not fluid.
   • 1659 December 30 (date written), Robert Boyle, New Experiments Physico-Mechanicall, Touching the Spring of the Air, and Its Effects, (Made, for the Most Part, in a New Pneumatical Engine) , Oxford, Oxfordshire: H Hall, printer to the University, for Tho Robinson, published 1660, →OCLC:

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

5. (obsolete) Consistent; logical.
   • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

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

6. (computing, complexity theory) Bounded above by a constant.

   constant time   constant space

Synonyms

• (unchanged through time or space): nonchanging, unaltering, unvarying; see also Thesaurus:changeless

Derived terms

Translations

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.

Derived terms

Translations

Related terms

• constantly (adv)
• constancy (n)

See also

• (computing) literal

Catalan

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin cōnstantem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencian)
• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

constant m or f (masculine and feminine plural constants)

1. constant

   Antonym: inconstant

Derived terms

• constantment
• inconstant

Related terms

• constància

Noun

constant f (plural constants)

1. constant

Further reading

• “constant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “constant”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “constant” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “constant” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Etymology 2

Verb

constant

1. gerund of constar

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French constant, from Latin cōnstāns.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔnˈstɑnt/, /ˈkɔn.stɑnt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: con‧stant
• Rhymes: -ɑnt

Adjective

constant (comparative constanter, superlative constantst)

1. constant, invariable
2. constant, continuous, unceasing

Inflection

Derived terms

• constante
• constantheid

Descendants

• → Indonesian: konstan

French

Etymology

From Latin cōnstantem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃s.tɑ̃/

• audio

  (file)

• Homophone: constants

Adjective

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

1. constant

Derived terms

• constamment

Related terms

• constance

Further reading

• “constant”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.

Latin

Verb

cōnstant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of cōnstō

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French constant, from Latin constans.

Adjective

constant m or n (feminine singular constantă, masculine plural constanți, feminine and neuter plural constante)

1. constant

Declension