Word Meanings - COSTIVENESS - Book Publishers vocabulary database

1. An unnatural retention of the fecal matter of the bowels; constipation. 2. Inability to express one's self; stiffness. A reverend disputant of the same costiveness in public elocution with myself. Wakefield.

Related words: (words related to COSTIVENESS)

• PUBLIC-SPIRITED
  1. Having, or exercising, a disposition to advance the interest of the community or public; as, public-spirited men. 2. Dictated by a regard to public good; as, a public-spirited project or measure. Addison. -- Pub"lic-spir`it*ed*ly,
• PUBLICLY
  1. With exposure to popular view or notice; without concealment; openly; as, property publicly offered for sale; an opinion publicly avowed; a declaration publicly made. 2. In the name of the community. Addison.
• PUBLIC SCHOOL
  In Great Britain, any of various schools maintained by the community, wholly or partly under public control, or maintained largely by endowment and not carried on chiefly for profit; specif., and commonly, any of various select and usually
• PUBLIC-SERVICE CORPORATION; QUASI-PUBLIC CORPORATION
  A corporation, such as a railroad company, lighting company, water company, etc., organized or chartered to follow a public calling or to render services more or less essential to the general public convenience or safety.
• PUBLICNESS
  1. The quality or state of being public, or open to the view or notice of people at large; publicity; notoriety; as, the publicness of a sale. 2. The quality or state of belonging to the community; as, the publicness of property. Boyle.
• PUBLICAN
  A farmer of the taxes and public revenues; hence, a collector of toll or tribute. The inferior officers of this class were often oppressive in their exactions, and were regarded with great detestation. As Jesus at meat . . . many publicans
• ELOCUTIONARY
  Pertaining to elocution.
• PUBLICATION
  1. The act of publishing or making known; notification to the people at large, either by words, writing, or printing; proclamation; divulgation; promulgation; as, the publication of the law at Mount Sinai; the publication of the gospel;
• REVERENDLY
  Reverently. Foxe.
• INABILITY
  The quality or state of being unable; lack of ability; want of sufficient power, strength, resources, or capacity. It is not from an inability to discover what they ought to do, that men err in practice. Blair. Syn. -- Impotence; incapacity;
• PUBLICITY
  The quality or state of being public, or open to the knowledge of a community; notoriety; publicness.
• EXPRESSURE
  The act of expressing; expression; utterance; representation. An operation more divine Than breath or pen can give expressure to. Shak.
• EXPRESS TRAIN
  Formerly, a railroad train run expressly for the occasion; a special train; now, a train run at express or special speed and making few stops.
• EXPRESSIVE
  1. Serving to express, utter, or represent; indicative; communicative; -- followed by of; as, words expressive of his gratitude. Each verse so swells expressive of her woes. Tickell. 2. Full of expression; vividly representing the meaning
• STIFFNESS
  The quality or state of being stiff; as, the stiffness of cloth or of paste; stiffness of manner; stiffness of character. The vices of old age have the stiffness of it too. South.
• MYSELF
  I or me in person; -- used for emphasis, my own self or person; as I myself will do it; I have done it myself; -- used also instead of me, as the object of the first person of a reflexive verb, without emphasis; as, I will defend myself.
• EXPRESSNESS
  The state or quality of being express; definiteness. Hammond.
• DISPUTANT
  Disputing; engaged in controversy. Milton.
• PUBLIC-MINDED
  Public-spirited. -- Pub"lic-mind`ed*ness, n.
• MATTERLESS
  1. Not being, or having, matter; as, matterless spirits. Davies 2. Unimportant; immaterial.
• RESTIFFNESS
  Restiveness.
• INEXPRESSIBLY
  In an inexpressible manner or degree; unspeakably; unutterably. Spectator.
• IMAGINABILITY
  Capacity for imagination. Coleridge.
• ORDINABILITY
  Capability of being ordained or appointed. Bp. Bull.
• UNEXPRESSIBLE
  Inexpressible. Tillotson. -- Un`ex*press"i*bly, adv.