From Latin 'constituere' (to set up, establish), rooted in PIE *steh₂- (to stand) — originally describing both bodily makeup and legal frameworks, with the political sense dominating after the age of written constitutions.
Relating to or in accordance with a political constitution, or inherent in the makeup of something
Constitutional entered English in the 1680s, derived from 'constitution' plus the suffix '-al.' The noun 'constitution' came via Old French from Latin 'constitūtiō' (arrangement, system, ordinance), from 'constituere' (to set up, establish, arrange). This verb combines 'con-' (together, with) and 'statuere' (to set up, cause to stand), which in turn derives from 'stāre' (to stand), from PIE *steh₂- (to stand). The word had dual meanings from the start: the physical makeup of a body and the legal framework of a
A 'constitutional' as a noun means a walk taken for one's health — this usage dates to the 1820s and preserves the word's older medical meaning, referring to one's bodily constitution rather than a political document. British English still uses it: 'taking one's morning constitutional' means going for a health walk.