01 a. Retaining fecal matter in the bowels; having too slow a motion of the bowels; constipated.
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1.
Retaining fecal matter in the bowels; having too slow a motion of the bowels; constipated.
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2.
Reserved; formal; close; cold.[Obs.]“You must be frank, but without indiscretion; and close, but without being costive.” — Lord Chesterfield.
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3.
Dry and hard; impermeable; unyielding.[Obs.]“Clay in dry seasons is costive, hardening with the sun and wind.” — Mortimer.