constipation
noun/ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən/
Etymology First attested in the beginning of the 15ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English constipacioun, borrowed from Medieval Latin constīpātiō or its Old French equivalent, from cōnstīpō + -tiō. By surface analysis, constipate + -ion.
1
A state of the bowels in which the evacuations are infrequent and difficult, or the intestines become filled with hardened faeces.
- If you also knew how to combine foods—that is, what foods eaten together “set well,” you need never have indigestion, constipation or any of the headachy, stomachachy ills they lead to.1917 February 12, “If You Knew What Foods?” (advertisement), in The Independent, volume 59, number 3558, New York: Independent Corporation, page 280:
- Review of systems was positive for unintentional weight gain of 13.5 kilograms in the last eight months, excessive fatigue, fever, difficulty focusing, one episode of painful oral ulcer on the roof of her mouth, change in the hair texture with nonscarring alopecia, shortness of breath with exertion, and constipation.2015 July 22, Reshma M. Khan et al., “Embolic Stroke as the Initial Manifestation of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus”, in Case Reports in Rheumatology, volume 2015, →DOI:
2
The act of crowding anything into a lesser space, or the state of being crowded or pressed together; condensation.
- Derived terms
- anticonstipation, verbal constipation
- Related terms
- Constipation in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)