1. The act or process of composing, setting up, or establishing.
2. 1. The composition or structure of something; makeup.
   2. The physical makeup of a person: Having a strong constitution, she had no trouble climbing the mountain.
3. 1. The system of fundamental laws and principles that prescribes the nature, functions, and limits of a government or another institution.
   2. The document in which such a system is recorded.
   3. Constitution The fundamental law of the United States, framed in 1787, ratified in 1789, and variously amended since then.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.