constitution [ME] A constitution once referred to a law, as well as to a body of laws or customs. It comes from Latin constituere ‘establish, appoint’ from con- ‘together’ and statuere ‘set up, place’. The latter is a rich source of English words including destitute [LME] literally ‘placed away’ so forsaken; institute [ME] something set up or established; restitution [ME] a re-establishing; statue [ME] something set up; stature [ME], which originally meant ‘height when standing’; status [L18th], ‘legal standing’; statute [ME], a law that had been set up; and substitute [LME], someone set up instead of another. Prostitute [M16th] comes from Latin prostituere ‘expose publicly, offer for sale’, from pro- ‘before’ and statuere ‘set up, place’. See also stationer.