adj. 1. a. Suffering from constipation. b. Causing constipation. 2. Slow; sluggish. 3. Stingy. [Middle English costif, from Old French costeve, past participle of costever, to constipate, from Latin cōnstīpāre; see CONSTIPATE.] costive·ly adv. costive·ness n. |
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