costive
English
Etymology
From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French costivé, ultimately from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin constipatus (“constipated”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
costive
Quotations
- constipated (figurative)
- 2005, Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty, Bloomsbury Publishing, paperback edition, page 346:
- Melanie, who was used to Wani's costive memos, and even to dressing up the gist of a letter in her own words, stuck out her tongue in concentration as she took down Nick's old-fashioned periods and perplexing semicolons.