constipation

[kon-stuh-pey-shuhn]

noun

1. a condition of the bowels in which the feces are dry and hardened and evacuation is difficult and infrequent.

2. Informal.,  a state of slowing down, sluggishness, or inactivity.

3. Obsolete.,  the act of crowding anything into a smaller compass; condensation.

constipation

/ ˌkɒnstɪˈpeɪʃən /

noun

1. infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels, with hard faeces, caused by functional or organic disorders or improper diet

Word History and Origins

Origin of constipation¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English constipacioun, from Middle French, from Late Latin constīpātiōn-, stem of constīpātiō; equivalent to constipate + -ion

Example Sentences

About 1.5 million children in the UK suffer with constipation, according to the charity Bladder and Bowel UK.

From BBC

General physical side effects of kratom can include nausea, constipation, dizziness and dry mouth.

From Los Angeles Times

What could have been reduced to jokes about Millennial solipsism instead asks him to reckon with his emotional constipation.

From Salon

A woman whose bowel had to be removed due to chronic and severe constipation says we should all be more open to talking about basic bodily functions.

From BBC

When Colleen Henderson’s three-year-old daughter complained of pain while using the bathroom, doctors brushed it off as a urinary tract infection or constipation, common maladies in the potty-training years.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ache 
• contraction 
• convulsion 
• pain 
• stiffness 
• twinge