CONSTRUCTION Copy link • CONSTRUCTIONthe act of constructing, aedificatio: exaedificatio: exstructio: construction of a wall, ductus muri. Grammatical construction, verborum conformatio or compositio (the way in which one word follows another): consecutio verborum (the logical order of the words according to grammar): constructio (is used in Cic. for the artificial arrangement of a speech; but in grammarians = construction). Meaning, sense; e.g., a word admits of various constructions, bujus vocis potestas multiplex est (after Auct. ad Her., 4, 54, in.): this word does not admit of any other construction, but, etc., neque ulla alia huic verbo subjecta notio est, nisi etc.: whenever a word admits of more than one construction, cum verbum potest in duas pluresve sententias accipi: to put a good or favorable construction on anything, aliquid in bonam partem accipere or bene interpretari; sine offensione accipere aliquid; to put the worst construction on anything, in malam partem accipere or male interpretari aliquid: to put a better or more favorable construction on anything, in mitiorem or in meliorem partem accipere or interpretari aliquid: a worse construction, in pejorem partem accipere or deterius interpretari aliquid: a worse construction on every thing, omnia in deterius trahere. [OBS., these phrases with the comparative are used where we should use the positive: “to put a good, bad, etc., construction on anything”]. to put a construction on anything that it was not intended to have, aliter aliquid, ac dictum erat, accipere.