unconstitutional
Meaning
not allowed by or in agreement with a country's constitution
Structure
Usage
the supreme court ruled the law unconstitutional and struck it down.
many citizens protested the policy, believing it to be an unconstitutional infringement on their rights.
the president's executive order was challenged as being unconstitutional.
Etymology
The word "unconstitutional" is built upon the foundation of "constitution," which traces back to the Latin constituere, meaning "to set up or establish." This verb combines con- (together) and statuere (to cause to stand), evoking the image of establishing a stable framework of governance. The suffix "-al" transforms this noun into the adjective "constitutional," describing anything pertaining to or in accordance with that established system of fundamental laws. Finally, the Old English prefix "un-" is appended to negate the adjective, creating a term that specifically denotes something which violates or contradicts the principles set forth in a constitution.
Analysis
- un: a prefix of germanic origin (old english) meaning "not," used to form negatives. - constitution: from latin constitutio (act of setting up, arrangement), itself from constituere (to set up, establish), composed of con- (together) + statuere (to set, stand). - al: a suffix of latin origin (-alis) used to form adjectives meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by."