COSTIVELY

Etymology

Adverb

costively (comparative more costively, superlative most costively)

In a costive manner.

Source: Wiktionary


Cos"tive*ly, adv.

Definition: In a costive manner.

COSTIVE

Cos"tive (ks"tv), a. Etym: [OF. costev, p. p. of costever, F. constiper, L. constipare to press closely together, to cram; con- + stipare to press together, cram. See Stipulate, Stiff, and cf. Constipate.]

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." Prior. "Costive of laughter." B. Jonson. You must be frank, but without indiscretion; and close, but without being costive. Lord Chesterfield.

3. Dry and hard; impermeable; unyielding. [Obs.] Clay in dry seasons is costive, hardening with the sun and wind. Mortimer.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

The expression “coffee break” was first attested in 1952 in glossy magazine advertisements by the Pan-American Coffee Bureau.

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