constituere

Constituere is a Latin verb meaning to set up, establish, appoint, or determine. In classical usage it covers founding institutions, enacting laws, or naming someone to an office. It can also convey the sense of arranging or composing something and, more broadly, bringing something into existence or form.

Etymology and grammar: The verb is formed from con- “together” and statuere “to place.” It belongs to the third conjugation and has the principal parts constituō, constituere, constitui, constitūtum. The infinitive is constituere; the present active indicative forms include constituō, constituis, constituIt, constituimus, constituitis, constituunt. The passive is formed similarly (constituitur, constitueris, etc.). The participle constitūtus yields the related noun constitutio, meaning an establishment or constitution.

Usage notes: Constituere is transitive and typically takes a direct object in the accusative for what is established (for example, legēs, senātum, magistrum). Common uses include establishing laws (leges constituit), founding a senate or state (senātum constituit), and appointing to office (magistrum constituit). In legal or constitutional contexts it can express the act of determining or deciding, as in a formal decision that constitutes a policy or rule. The form constituitur can be used to say “it is established” or “it is constituted” in the passive.

Derivatives and related terms: The noun constitutio denotes an establishment, constitution, or arrangement. The English verb constitute and the adjective constitutional derive from the same Latin root, reflecting the core sense of bringing something into being or making it into a defined form.

See also: Constitutio, constitui, constitute (Latin roots), Constitutional.