ˈkänztəˌpāt, -än(t)st-, usu -ād.+V verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin constipatus, past participle of constipare, from com- + stipare to press together — more at stiff
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to make firm or hard (as by thickening, pressing together, condensing)
2.
[Medieval Latin constipatus, from Latin]
: to make costive : cause constipation in
3. : to make immobile, inactive, or dull : stultify
Paris quickens the mind, New York energizes the character, London constipates the soul — Cyril Connolly
intransitive verb
: to make evacuation of the feces difficult or infrequent