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consisting in, or favoring, a government of nobles, or principal men; as, an aristocratic constitution.

nsisting of two or more particulars, or treating of various topics; as, an article in the Constitution. Hence: A clause in a contract, system of regulations, treaty, or the like; a term, condition, or stipulation in a contract; a concise statement; as, articles of agreement.

appeals, and the like; as, to make an assault on the prerogatives of a prince, or on the constitution of a government. Clarendon.

lestial bodies, of their magnitudes, motions, distances, periods of revolution, eclipses, constitution, physical condition, and of the causes of their various phenomena.

ng of the physical characteristics of the stars and other heavenly bodies, their chemical constitution, light, heat, atmospheres, etc.

ac; atrabiliary. Dunglision. A hard-faced, atrabilious, earnest-eyed race. Lowell. He was constitutionally atrabilious and scornful. Froude.

A collection of the Novels or New Constitutions of Justinian, by an anonymous author; -- so called on account of its authencity. Bouvier.

An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack. "Constitutional barriers." Hopkinson.

Very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression.

nds are derived. This ring formula is provisionally accepted as representing the probable constitution of the benzene molecule, C6H6, and as the type on which its derivatives are formed.

rable circumstances; as, life is at best very short. -- For best, finally. [Obs.] "Those constitutions . . . are now established for best, and not to be mended." Milton. -- To get the best of, to gain an advantage over, whether fairly or unfairly. -- To make the best of. (a) To improve to the utmost; to use or dispo…

al amount of the costs of a party to a suit or action. -- Bill of credit. (a) Within the constitution of the United States, a paper issued by a State, on the mere faith and credit of the State, and designed to circulate as money. No State shall "emit bills of credit." U. S. Const. Peters. Wharton. Bouvier (b) Among me…

by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution; esp. the rights or inheritance of the first born. Lest there be any . . . profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Heb. xii. 16.

To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or strength. See how the dean begins to break; Poor gentleman . Swift.

Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged. The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case. D. Daggett. In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way. E. Everett.

y of; to settle, or establish, and preserve; -- frequently with up; as, to build up one's constitution. I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up. Acts xx. 32.

universal particular; a Catholic schimatic. Milton. The Golden Bull, an edict or imperial constitution made by the emperor Charles IV. (1356), containing what became the fundamental law of the German empire; -- so called from its golden seal.

A law that is less important than a general law or constitutional provision, and subsidiary to it; a rule relating to a matter of detail; as, civic societies often adopt a constitution and by-laws for the government of their members. In this sense the word has probably been influenced by by, meaning secondary or aside.…

by a council and confirmed by the pope or the sovereign; a decision, regulation, code, or constitution made by ecclesiastical authority. Various canons which were made in councils held in the second centry. Hock.

The council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to the constitution of 1856. Your caputs and heads of colleges. Lamb. Caput mortuum (. Etym: [L., dead head.] (Old Chem.) The residuum after distillation or sublimation; hence, worthless residue.