different between constitution vs capacity

English

Etymology

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 c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem (“character, constitution, disposition, nature; definition; point in dispute; order, regulation; arrangement, system”), from c?nstitu? (“to establish, set up; to confirm; to decide, resolve”) (from con- (prefix indicating a being or bringing together of several objects) + statu? (“to set up, station; to establish; to determine, fix”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steh?- (“to stand (up)”))) + -ti? (suffix forming nouns relating to actions or the results of actions), -ti?nem (accusative singular of -ti?).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?nst??tju??(?)n/, /-?t?u?-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?k?nst??tu?(?)n/
• Hyphenation: con?sti?tu?tion

Noun

constitution (plural constitutions)

1. The act, or process of setting something up, or establishing something; the composition or structure of such a thing; its makeup.

   Synonyms: configuration, form; see also Thesaurus:composition

   • 1876, John Herschel, Outlines of Astronomy

     the physical constitution of the sun

2. (government) The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions.
3. (law) A legal document describing such a formal system.
4. A person's physical makeup or temperament, especially in respect of robustness.
   • 1828, Joseph Story, Appeal to the Republic

     Our constitutions have never been enfeebled by the vices or luxuries of the old world.
5. (dated) The general health of a person.

Derived terms

• constitutional
• metaconstitution

Related terms

• constitute
• constituent
• constituency
• constitutive

Translations

References

Further reading

• constitution on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• constitution (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

French

Etymology

From Old French constitucion, from Latin c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem. Morphologically, from constituer +? -tion.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??s.ti.ty.sj??/
• Rhymes: -??
• Homophone: constitutions

Noun

constitution f (plural constitutions)

1. constitution

Further reading

• “constitution” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Etymology

From Latin c?nstit?ti?, c?nstit?ti?nem.

Pronunciation

Noun

constitution f (plural constitutions)

1. (Jersey) constitution

English

Etymology

From Middle English capacite, from Old French capacite, from Latin cap?cit?s, from capax (“able to hold much”), from capi? (“to hold, to contain, to take, to understand”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??pæs?ti/

Noun

capacity (countable and uncountable, plural capacities)

1. The ability to hold, receive or absorb
2. A measure of such ability; volume
3. The maximum amount that can be held

   It was hauling a capacity load.

   The orchestra played to a capacity crowd.

4. Capability; the ability to perform some task
5. The maximum that can be produced.
6. Mental ability; the power to learn
7. A faculty; the potential for growth and development
8. A role; the position in which one functions
9. Legal authority (to make an arrest for example)
10. Electrical capacitance.
11. (operations) The maximum that can be produced on a machine or in a facility or group.

    Its capacity rating was 150 tons per hour, but its actual maximum capacity was 200 tons per hour.

Synonyms

• throughput
• See also Thesaurus:skill

Derived terms

• capac
• capacitance
• capacitate
• capacitive
• capacitation
• capacitor

Translations

References

• capacity at OneLook Dictionary Search

Adjective

capacity

1. Filling the allotted space.

   There will be a capacity crowd at Busch stadium for the sixth game.

   • 2012, August 1. Owen Gibson in Guardian Unlimited, London 2012: rowers Glover and Stanning win Team GB's first gold medal

     At an overcast Eton Dorney, roared on by a capacity crowd including Prince Harry and Prince William, the volume rose as they entered the final stages.

Related terms

• capacious

Further reading

• capacity in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• capacity in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• capacity at OneLook Dictionary Search