constipate
/ˈkɒnstɪˌpeɪt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.07 in modern English
14
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To cause constipation in, render costive.
Example Sentences
- "The medication can constipate you if you’re not drinking enough water."
- "The long hours of travel seemed to constipate his digestion."
- "A lack of fiber can constipate the body, leading to discomfort."
- "By […] much Sweating, the Bowels were heated, and dry'd, and rendred Constipate."
Etymology
The adjective is first attested circa 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1541; inherited from Middle English constipat(e) (“constipated”), borrowed Medieval Latin cōnstīpātus (“constipated”) (or through its Old French equivalent constipé), perfect passive participle of Medieval Latin cōnstīpō (“to cause constipation, to constipate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Classical Latin cōnstīpō (“to crowd or press tightly together”) (whence obsoleted sense 2 and 3), itself from con- + stīpō (“to press, cram”). Cognate with Middle English constipen (“to constipate”) and doublet of costive; related to stiff.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *steyp-, constipat, cōnstīpātus, cōnstīpō
Usage
Inflected Forms
constipates (present, singular)
constipating (participle, present)
constipated (participle, past)
constipated (past)
more constipate (comparative)
most constipate (superlative)