costive

[ kos-tiv, kaw-stiv ]

See synonyms for costive on Thesaurus.com

adjective

suffering from constipation; constipated.
slow in action or in expressing ideas, opinions, etc.

Obsolete. stingy; tight-fisted.

Origin of costive

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from unrecorded Anglo-French costif, for Middle French costivé, past participle of costiver “to constipate,” from Latin constīpāre (see constipate)

Other words from costive

cos·tive·ly, adverb
cos·tive·ness, noun

Words Nearby costive

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use costive in a sentence

I finds un fine to hunt with, and 'tis not so costive as the others.
Left on the Labrador | Dillon Wallace
The pulse is small, feeble and frequent, and the bowels costive.
An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing Art | B. L. Hill
I was of a costive, dyspeptic habit, which has been entirely removed.
Vegetable Diet: As Sanctioned by Medical Men, and by Experience in All Ages | William Andrus Alcott
All these facts have been proved before your Lordships by costive and unwilling witnesses.
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. XI. (of 12) | Edmund Burke
As he was costive, pills of aloes and steel were ordered to be taken occasionally.
An Account of the Foxglove and some of its Medical Uses | William Withering

British Dictionary definitions for costive

costive

/ (ˈkɒstɪv) /

adjective

having constipation; constipated
sluggish

niggardly

Origin of costive

C14: from Old French costivé, from Latin constipātus; see constipate

Derived forms of costive

costively, adverb
costiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse