Constitution & Bylaws Definition
The terms "constitution" and "bylaws" (or "bylaw") can be defined either individually or together as a single term. The individual words also have multiple definitions for different contexts. It is easy to understand why there may be some confusion.
Other People Are Reading
-
Constitution--Definition
-
West's Encyclopedia of American Law defines a constitution as: "The fundamental law, written or unwritten, that establishes the character of a government by defining the basic principles to which a society must conform; by describing the organization of the government and regulation, distribution, and limitations on the functions of different government departments; and by prescribing the extent and manner of the exercise of its sovereign powers."
Constitution--History
-
West's goes on to state, "The concept of a constitution dates to the city-states of ancient Greece. The philosopher Aristotle (384--322 B.C.), in his work Politics, analyzed over 150 Greek constitutions."
-
Bylaws (Corporate)--Definition
-
InvestorWords.com defines bylaws as they apply to the corporate world: "The official rules and regulations which govern a corporation's management."
Bylaw (Governmental)--Definition
-
BusinessDictionary.com defines a "bylaw" as: "Law, order, regulation, rule, etc., made by a ministry, local authority, or public corporation, in accordance with the powers conferred by or delegated under a statute."
Constitution and Bylaws--Definition
-
BusinessDictionary.com goes on to define constitutions and bylaws as: "Formal documents containing the fundamental objects and principles of an incorporated or registered organization."
Conclusion
-
To determine which definition applies to a specific situation, it is first necessary to determine if the term is being used in a business or corporate context, a governmental context or another context altogether.
-
References
- Photo Credit us capitol image by Ritu Jethani from Fotolia.com
