n. [ OE. conestable, constable, a constable (in sense 1), OF. conestable, F. connétable, LL. conestabulus, constabularius, comes stabuli, orig., count of the stable, master of the horse, equerry; comes count (L. companion) + L. stabulum stable. See Count a nobleman, and Stable. ] 1. A high officer in the monarchical establishments of the Middle Ages. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The constable of France was the first officer of the crown, and had the chief command of the army. It was also his duty to regulate all matters of chivalry. The office was suppressed in 1627. The constable, or lord high constable, of England, was one of the highest officers of the crown, commander in chief of the forces, and keeper of the peace of the nation. He also had judicial cognizance of many important matters. The office was as early as the Conquest, but has been disused (except on great and solemn occasions), since the attainder of Stafford, duke of Buckingham, in the reign of Henry VIII. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) An officer of the peace having power as a conservator of the public peace, and bound to execute the warrants of judicial officers. Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In England, at the present time, the constable is a conservator of the peace within his district, and is also charged by various statutes with other duties, such as serving summons, precepts, warrants, etc. In the United States, constables are town or city officers of the peace, with powers similar to those of the constables of England. In addition to their duties as conservators of the peace, they are invested with others by statute, such as to execute civil as well as criminal process in certain cases, to attend courts, keep juries, etc. In some cities, there are officers called high constables, who act as chiefs of the constabulary or police force. In other cities the title of constable, as well as the office, is merged in that of the police officer. [ 1913 Webster ]

High constable, a constable having certain duties and powers within a hundred. [ Eng. ] --
Petty constable, a conservator of the peace within a parish or tithing; a tithingman. [ Eng. ] --
Special constable, a person appointed to act as constable of special occasions. --
To
overrun the constable, or
outrun the constable, to spend more than one's income; to get into debt. [ Colloq. ] Smollett. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OF. conestablerie. Cf. Constabulary. ] 1. The constabulary. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The district or jurisdiction of a constable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The office or functions of a constable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The wife of a constable. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Constable + wick a village ] The district to which a constable's power is limited. [ Obs. ] Sir M. Hale. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ LL. constabularius an equerry. See Constable. ] Of or pertaining to constables; consisting of constables. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The collective body of constables in any town, district, or country. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A constabulary. [ Obs. ] Bp. Burnet. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. constantia: cf. F. constance. See Constant. ] 1. The state or quality of being constant or steadfast; freedom from change; stability; fixedness; immutability; as, the constancy of God in his nature and attributes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fixedness or firmness of mind; persevering resolution; especially, firmness of mind under sufferings, steadiness in attachments, or perseverance in enterprise; stability; fidelity. [ 1913 Webster ]

A fellow of plain uncoined constancy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Constancy and contempt of danger. Prescott.

Syn. -- Fixedness; stability; firmness; steadiness; permanence; steadfastness; resolution. See Firmness. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. onstans, -antis, p. pr. of constare to stand firm, to be consistent; con- + stare to stand: cf. F. constant. See Stand and cf. Cost, v. t. ] 1. Firm; solid; fixed; immovable; -- opposed to fluid. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If . . . you mix them, you may turn these two fluid liquors into a constant body. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Not liable, or given, to change; permanent; regular; continuous; continually recurring; steadfast; faithful; not fickle. Opposite of changeable and variable. [ 1913 Webster ]

Both loving one fair maid, they yet remained constant friends. Sir P. Sidney. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am constant to my purposes. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

His gifts, his constant courtship, nothing gained. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Onward the constant current sweeps. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Math. & Physics) Remaining unchanged or invariable, as a quantity, force, law, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Consistent; logical. [ Obs. ] Shak.

Syn. -- Fixed; steadfast; unchanging; permanent; unalterable; immutable; invariable; perpetual; continual; resolute; firm; unshaken; determined. -- Constant, Continual, Perpetual. These words are sometimes used in an absolute and sometimes in a qualified sense. Constant denotes, in its absolute sense, unchangeably fixed; as, a constant mind or purpose. In its qualified sense, it marks something as a “standing” fact or occurence; as, liable to constant interruptions; constantly called for. Continual, in its absolute sense, coincides with continuous. See Continuous. In its qualified sense, it describes a thing as occuring in steady and rapid succession; as, a round of continual calls; continually changing. Perpetual denotes, in its absolute sense, what literally never ceases or comes to an end; as, perpetual motion. In its qualified sense, it is used hyperbolically, and denotes that which rarely ceases; as, perpetual disturbance; perpetual noise; perpetual intermeddling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. That which is not subject to change; that which is invariable. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Math.) A quantity that does not change its value; -- used in countradistinction to variable. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Astron.) A number whose value, when ascertained (as by observation) and substituted in a general mathematical formula expressing an astronomical law, completely determines that law and enables predictions to be made of its effect in particular cases. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

4. (Physics) A number expressing some property or condition of a substance or of an instrument of precision; as, the dielectric constant of quartz; the collimation constant of a transit instrument. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

5. (Computers) a data structure that does not change during the course of execution of a program. It may be a number, a string, or a more complex data structure; -- contrasted with variable. [ PJC ]

Aberration constant, or
Constant of aberration (Astron.), a number which by substitution in the general formula for aberration enables a prediction to be made of the effect of aberration on a star anywhere situated. Its value is 20″.47. --
Absolute constant (Math.), one whose value is absolutely the same under all circumstances, as the number 10, or any numeral. --
Arbitrary constant, an undetermined constant in a differential equation having the same value during all changes in the values of the variables. --
Gravitation constant (Physics), the acceleration per unit of time produced by the attraction of a unit of mass at unit distance. When this is known the acceleration produced at any distance can be calculated. --
Solar constant (Astron.), the quantity of heat received by the earth from the sun in a unit of time. It is, on the C. G. S. system, 0.0417 small calories per square centimeter per second. Young. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ] --
Constant of integration (Math.), an undetermined constant added to every result of integration. [ 1913 Webster + Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. a copper-nickel alloy composed of approximately 55 per cent copper and 45 per cent nickel, with high electrical resistance and a low temperature coefficient; it is used as resistance wire and in thermocouples. It has a resistance factor ρ of 44.1 x 10-6 ohm-cm at 0° C, in comparison to the value 1.71 x 10-6 ohm-cm for pure copper and 7.8 x 10-6 ohm-cm for pure nickel. It is similar to the alloy Eureka, which has a ρ = 47 x 10-6 ohm-cm. Handbook of Ch. 61. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. A superior wine, white and red, from Constantia, in South Africa. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

prop. n. the former capital of the Eastern Roman Empire; it was built on the site of ancient Byzantium, and the name was changed to Istanbul by the Turks.
Syn. -- Istanbul, Stambul, Stamboul. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

The name change was the subject of a humorous song in the 1950's "Istanbul (not Constantinople)":

 Artists: The Four Lads -- peak Billboard position # 10 in 1953 -- Words by Jimmy Kennedy and Music by Nat Simon -- (C) Chappell & Co. Istanbul was Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Been a long time gone, Constantinople Now it's Turkish delight on a moonlit night Every gal in Constantinople Lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople So if you've a date in Constantinople She'll be waiting in Istanbul Even old New York Was once New Amsterdam Why they changed it I can't say People just liked it better that way Take me back to Constantinople No, you can't go back to Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks' 

adv. With constancy; steadily; continually; perseveringly; without cessation; uniformly. [ 1913 Webster ]

But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Acts. xii. 15. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., it is evident. ] (Law) A certificate showing what appears upon record touching a matter in question. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. constater; L. con- + stare to stand. ] To ascertain; to verify; to establish; to prove. F. P. Cobbe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. See Inconstancy. ] Inconstancy. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. inconstantia. ] The quality or state of being inconstant; lack of constancy; mutability; fickleness; variableness. [ 1913 Webster ]

For unto knight there was no greater shame,
Than lightness and inconstancie in love. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. inconstans: cf. F. inconstant. See In- not, and Constant. ] Not constant; not stable or uniform; subject to change of character, appearance, opinion, inclination, or purpose, etc.; not firm; unsteady; fickle; changeable; variable; -- said of persons or things; as, inconstant in love or friendship. “The inconstant moon.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

While we, inquiring phantoms of a day,
Inconstant as the shadows we survey! Boyse.

Syn. -- Mutable; fickle; volatile; unsteady; unstable; changeable; variable; wavering; fluctuating. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In an inconstant manner. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Law L. ] It does not appear; it is not plain or clear; it does not follow. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. varying from or not adhering to a standard; as, nonstandard windows; envelopes of nonstandard sizes; non-standard lengths of board cost more per foot. Opposite of standard. [ Narrower terms: deficient, inferior, substandard ]
Syn. -- nonstandard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. (Linguistics) Not conforming to the language usage of a prestige group within a community; as, a nonstandard dialect is one used by uneducated speakers or socially disfavored groups. Opposite of standard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. a person with a record of failing.
Syn. -- loser, failure, unsuccessful person. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A horse that fails to run in a race for which it has been entered. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. A proposal that will not receive serious consideration by those with authority to decide. [ PJC ]

n. Inconstancy. [ Obs. ] “The unconstancy of the foundation.” Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not constant; inconstant; fickle; changeable. [ Obs. ] Shak. -- Un*con"stant*ly, adv. [Obs.] -- Un*con"stant*ness, n. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]