What does costiveness mean?
Costiveness is a somewhat old-fashioned English noun denoting constipation — the condition in which the bowels are sluggish and evacuation is difficult or infrequent. It derives from the adjective 'costive', which entered English through Old French from the Latin verb constipare, meaning to press or pack closely together, the same root that gives us 'constipation'. Beyond its literal medical sense, costiveness has long carried a figurative meaning: a slowness or reluctance in speaking, acting, or parting with money, so that a reticent person or a miser might be described as costive. In contemporary English the word is uncommon, surviving mainly in historical medical literature and literary prose; modern speakers say 'constipation' for the physical complaint. Its double life as both a bodily ailment and a trait of temperament makes it a curious example of how early medicine linked physiology with character.
nounThe condition of being constipated; sluggishness of the bowels. More broadly and now somewhat archaically, a disinclination to speak, act, or spend freely.
- Constipation; difficulty in emptying the bowels.
- Figurative slowness, restraint, or stinginess in speech, action, or spending.
"His chronic costiveness finally prompted him to consult the physician about his diet."
"A diet lacking fibre left him troubled by persistent costiveness."
"Her costiveness at meetings was often mistaken for aloofness, though she simply preferred to listen."
Before it named a sluggish gut, 'costiveness' could describe a miser's purse or a shy speaker's tongue — one word for everything that refuses to come out.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of costiveness
Costiveness comes from the adjective 'costive', borrowed into Middle English from Old French 'costif', which descends from the Latin constipare ('to press together, crowd'), the same verb underlying 'constipate' and 'constipation'. The noun form arose naturally by adding the suffix '-ness' to denote the state or quality of being costive. From its earliest English use it carried both a physical sense (sluggish bowels) and a figurative one (restraint or slowness in speech or action), reflecting the old medical idea that bodily congestion produced mental dullness.
Related word forms
How costiveness is actually used
In modern usage 'costiveness' is rare outside historical medical texts and literary prose; speakers today would almost always say 'constipation'. The figurative sense (of temperament or speech) is chiefly found in older writing.
Easily confused with costiveness
Costive is the adjective describing someone who is constipated or taciturn, while costiveness is the noun naming that condition itself.
Constipation is the standard modern medical term for the condition; costiveness is an older, more literary synonym for it.