constitution
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
the set of basic laws and principles that a country or organization is governed by.
the fundamental principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government.
Simple“The country's constitution protects the right of every citizen to vote in elections.”
In context“The proposed amendment to the constitution requires a two-thirds majority in both houses of parliament to pass into law.”
UsageOften capitalized when referring to a specific document, such as the US Constitution.
- 02 C1 Advanced
your general health and how strong your body is.
the physical makeup of an individual, specifically regarding their inherent health, strength, and resilience.
Simple“He has a very strong constitution and rarely gets sick, even in winter.”
In context“Despite her advanced age, she possessed a robust constitution that allowed her to recover quickly from the surgery.”
Teacher's tipIn modern English, this is a formal way to describe health; 'health' or 'build' are more common in daily speech.
- 03 C1 Advanced
the way that something is put together or organized.
the composition or structure of something; the way in which various parts are set up to form a whole.
Simple“Scientists are studying the chemical constitution of the soil on Mars.”
In context“The genetic constitution of the species has changed significantly over thousands of years of isolation on the island.”
Synonyms
“New York's state constitution has its own prohibition on double jeopardy, which, if invoked here, could have a knock-on effect on Mangione's upcoming state trial.”
“The federal lawsuit alleges that the service from the president's media company violates the Constitution.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.