originalism

/əˈrɪdʒənəlɪzəm/

In U.S. politics, originalism is the belief that the Constitution should be followed in the exact way it was intended at the time it was written, nearly 250 years ago.

According to originalism, the Constitution's meaning can't be adapted to modern life without new amendments. Instead, originalists say the document's original intent must be interpreted, and that legal decisions should be based on the way the Constitution would have been understood in 1787. Today, originalism is usually associated with conservative politics. Originalism is from original and its Latin source, which means "beginning or birth."

Definitions of originalism

1. noun

   the belief that the United States Constitution should be interpreted in the way the authors originally intended it
   type of:

   belief

   any cognitive content held as true