a. Also 5 costyff, 5–6 -yf, -if, 6 -efe, -iffe, 6–7 -yve, 7–8 caustive. [app. a. OF. costivé, costevé:—L. constipāt-us CONSTIPATED; the final é having (as in some other words) become mute. Prob. there was in this case confusion with the suffix -IVE, F. -if, -ive, for the final e had disappeared even from the spelling by 1400.]
1. Suffering from hardness and retention of the fæces; ‘bound’ or confined in the bowels; constipated.
c. 1400. Lanfranc’s Cirurg., 51. Lose þe wombe if þat he be costif [v.r. costyff].
1519. Horman, Vulg., 41 b. This medicine maketh a man costefe.
1547. Boorde, Brev. Health, § 309. Beware that the bely be not constupated or costiue.
1612. Woodall, Surg. Mate, Wks. (1653), 37. Honey … is good … for those that are costive.
1736. Amyand, in Phil. Trans., XXXIX. 338. She had been greatly caustive.
1808. Med. Jrnl., XIX. 158. The bowels were obstinately costive.
1875. H. C. Wood, Therap. (1879), 450. The finest white flour favors a costive habit, whilst the ‘cracked wheat,’ in which the whole grain is eaten, is laxative.
† b. Of medicine or food: That confines the bowels, ‘binding.’ Obs.
1566. Drant, Horace Sat., II. iv. (R.). Egges roasted hard be costiue.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, x. 141. Laxatiue in the pith and costiffe in the barke.
1634. Sir T. Herbert, Trav., 24. In the morne tis loosing, at Eue costiue.
2. fig. Slow or reluctant in action; esp. † a. in speech or utterance: Close, reticent, uncommunicative (obs.); b. Reluctant to give, niggardly, stingy.
1594. Plat, Jewell-ho., III. 63. They came so hardly from him as if hee had beene extreemly costiffe.
1606. Sir G. Goosecappe, III. i. in Bullen, O. Pl., III. 48. Is your Lord costive of laughter, or laxative of laughter?
1610. B. Jonson, Alch., II. iii. Somewhat caustiue of beliefe Toward your stone.
1752. Chesterf., Lett., III. cclxxxiv. 300. You must be frank, but without indiscretion, and close without being costive.
1824. Medwin, Convers. Byron (1832), II. 45. He is rather costive, and does not like to throw away his effusions.
1887. Durham Univ. Jrnl., VII. 228. The amount of compensation to be claimed from a Railway Company who are always costive upon such points.
† c. Given with reluctance or sparingly. Obs.
a. 1734. North, Exam., III. vi. 493. The costive supplies as were given towards it.
† 3. Hard and impervious. Obs. rare–1.
1707. Mortimer, Husb. (ed. 2), 57 (J.). It [clay] … in dry Seasons is costive, hardening with the Sun and Wind, ’till they are unlocked in industry.
