Constitution
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constitution¹
- /ˌkɒn.stɪˈtjuː.ʃ(ə)n/ UK
- /-ˈtʃuː-/ UK
- /ˌkɑn.stɪˈtu.ʃ(ə)n/ US
Rhymes with -uːʃən
Where it comes from
PIE word
*ḱóm
From Middle English constitucioun, constitucion (“edict, law, ordinance, regulation, rule, statute; body of laws or rules, or customs; body of fundamental principles; principle or rule (of science); creation”) from Old French constitucion (modern French constitution), a learned borrowing from Latin cōnstitūtiō, cōnstitūtiōnem (“character, constitution, disposition, nature; definition; point in dispute; order, regulation; arrangement, system”), from cōnstituō (“to establish, set up; to confirm; to decide, resolve”). Equivalent to constitute + -ion.
noun constitutions
- The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup. the physical constitution of the sun
- The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions. 1693, Edmund Bohun, A Geographical Dictionary They have in their present Constitution a Grand Council of the Nobility, a Senato, a College of Twenty six who give Audience to Ambassadors and report their Demands to the Senate, a Council of Ten; and a Triumvirate (monthly chosen by, and out of, the Te
- A legal document describing such a formal system.
- A document issued by a religious authority serving to promulgate some particular church laws or doctrines.
- A person's physical makeup or temperament, especially in respect of robustness. He has a strong constitution, so he should make a quick recovery from the illness.
- The general health of a person. But when once his constitution began to decline, he broke very fast, and being attacked bya complication of diseases, he at length gave way to fate, May 10, 1733.
Constitution²
proper noun the Constitution
- The supreme law of some countries, such as Australia, Ireland, and the United States. The Constitution is anchored in English liberal thought and the Magna Carta.
