Where does “unconstitutional” come from?
Unconstitutional comes from English constitution, which derives from Latin con- meaning "together" combined with Latin constituere, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots.
unconstitutional (English): contrary to or violative of the constitution of a...
Definitions
- contrary to or violative of the constitution of a...
Ancestry of “unconstitutional”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | constitutional | Belonging to, or inherent in, the constitution or... |
| 2 | English | constitution | The act, or process of setting something up, or... |
| 3 | Middle English | constitucioun | An ecclesiastical decree or rule, especially one... |
| 4 | Old French | constitucion | constitution |
| 5 | Latin | cōnstitūtiō | a constitution, disposition, nature, character |
| 6 | Latin | cōnstituō | to place, put, locate, lay |
| 7 | Latin | cōn- | Used in compounds to indicate a being or bringing together of several objects |
| 8 | Latin | cum | with, along with; at; -fold |
| 9 | Old Latin | com | Alternative form of cum |
| 10 | Proto-Italic | kom | with, along, at |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱóm | beside, near, by, with |
| 12 | Proto-Indo-European | ḱe | Deictic particle, here; Post-positional... |
| 13 | Middle English | kyt | — |
| 14 | German | kitt | putty certain kinds of cement used for fixing e.g. window panes |
| 15 | Old High German | kuti | — |
| 16 | Proto-West Germanic | kwidu | gum, resin |
| 17 | Proto-Germanic | kweduz | resin |
| 18 | Proto-Indo-European | gʷet- | resin, gum; to say, speak |