# constitutional

Pronunciation: US say "kon-sti-TOO-shuh-nuhl" /ˌkɑnstɪˈt(j)uʃ(ə)n(ə)l/; UK say "kon-sti-TYOO-shuh-nuhl" /ˌkɒnstɪˈtjuːʃ(ə)n(ə)l/

## Adjective

1. Relating to the basic laws and primary principles that govern a nation or other institution.
   - Simple: Having to do with the set of basic laws that say how a country or group is run.
   - _The court examined whether the statute fell within constitutional limits._
   - _Scholars debated the constitutional basis for the president's emergency order._
2. In keeping with, or permitted under, the provisions of a legal or political constitution.
   - Simple: Allowed by the basic laws of a country, and not breaking them.
   - _The supreme court ruled that the search was constitutional._
   - _Lawmakers insisted that their bill was fully constitutional._
3. Of a monarch: holding a largely ceremonial role, with powers limited by a constitution rather than absolute or unlimited.
   - Simple: Said of a king or queen who has only limited, mostly ceremonial powers set by law.
   - _The constitutional monarch signs bills into law but cannot veto them._
   - _As a constitutional sovereign, she reigns without governing._
4. Relating to the makeup or composition of something; essential and fundamental to what it is.
   - Simple: Being a basic, built-in part of how something is made or put together.
   - _These principles form the constitutional foundation of the organization._
   - _Balance is a constitutional aspect of the entire design._
5. Belonging to or inherent in the natural makeup or structure of a person's body or mind.
   - Simple: Being a natural part of someone's body or mind from birth.
   - _His constitutional resilience helped him recover quickly from the illness._
   - _A constitutional weakness in the lungs ran through the family._
6. Intended to benefit one's health or physical constitution.
   - Simple: Done to keep your body fit and healthy.
   - _An evening constitutional walk was part of his daily routine._
   - _She swore by her morning constitutional exercise for keeping fit._

## Noun

7. A walk taken regularly for the sake of one's health and wellbeing.
   - Simple: A walk you take regularly to stay healthy.
   - _He set off on his afternoon constitutional along the river._
   - _Her doctor recommended a brisk constitutional each day._
8. A polite, indirect word for an act of defecation.
   - Simple: A polite word for going to the toilet to pass solid waste.
   - _He disappeared into the lavatory for his post-breakfast constitutional._
   - _At the campsite she grabbed a roll of toilet paper and a trowel and headed into the woods for a quick constitutional._

## Origin

Formed from constitution plus the adjective-forming suffix -al ('of or pertaining to'). Constitution came through Middle English and Old French from Latin cōnstitūtiō ('character, arrangement, regulation'), from cōnstituō ('to establish, set up'), built from con- and statuō ('to set up, fix'), ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *steh₂- ('to stand up').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/constitutional (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).