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Costive   Listen
adjective
Costive  adj.  
1.
Retaining fecal matter in the bowels; having too slow a motion of the bowels; constipated.
2.
Reserved; formal; close; cold. (Obs.) "A costive brain." "Costive of laughter." "You must be frank, but without indiscretion; and close, but without being costive."
3.
Dry and hard; impermeable; unyielding. (Obs.) "Clay in dry seasons is costive, hardening with the sun and wind."





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Costive" Quotes from Famous Books



... thrown in. A verdant screen may be made in this way, of the wildest and most beautiful description, which should never be clipt, only pruned, allowing the loose branches to drop over those that are taken away. Tom is very costive about trees, and talks only of 300 poplars. I shall send at least double that number; also some hagberries, etc. He thinks he is saving me money when he is starving my projects; but he is a pearl of honesty and good ...
— Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume V (of 10) • John Gibson Lockhart
... lips; render mute &c 581. stick in one's throat. Adj. silent, mute, mum; silent as a post, silent as a stone, silent as the grave &c (still) 403; dumb &c 581; unconversable^. taciturn, sparing of words; closetongued; costive^, inconversable^, curt; reserved; reticent &c (concealing) 528. Int. shush!, tush!, silence!, mum!, hush!, chut!^, hist!, tut!, chup!^, mum's the word; keep your mouth shut! [Vulg.]. Phr. cave quid dicis ...
— Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Body • Roget


Words linked to "Costive" :   laxative


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