| constitutional monarchy | |
| —n | |
| Also called: limited monarchy a monarchy governed according to a constitution that limits and defines the powers of the sovereign | |
| an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
A form of national government in which the power of the monarch (the king or queen) is restrained by a parliament, by law, or by custom. Several nations, especially in modern times, have passed from absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy, including Belgium, Britain, Denmark, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden.