constitution

constitution [kän΄stə to͞o′shən, kän΄stətyo͞o′shən]

n.

[ME constitucioun < OFr constitution < L constitutio: see CONSTITUTE]

1. the act of setting up or making up; establishment, appointment, or formation

2. the way in which a thing is made up; structure; organization; makeup

3. the physical, or rarely mental, makeup of a person [a man of strong constitution]

4. the way in which a government, state, society, etc. is organized

5. a decree, regulation, or custom

6.

a) the system of fundamental laws and principles of a government, state, society, corporation, etc., written or unwritten

b) a document or set of documents in which these laws and principles are written down

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the Constitution

the document containing the fundamental laws of the United States: it consists of the seven original articles, adopted in 1789, and twenty-seven amendments