costive

English

Etymology

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle French costivé, ultimately from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Latin constipatus (“constipated”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒstɪv/

Adjective

costive

1. constipated
2. miserly, parsimonious

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.

Anagrams

• voicest