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Noun: constipation  ,kón-sti'pey-shun
  1. Irregular and infrequent or difficult evacuation of the bowels; can be a symptom of intestinal obstruction or diverticulitis
    "The patient complained of constipation after starting a new medication";
    - irregularity
     
  2. The act of making something futile and useless (as by routine)
    "The bureaucratic constipation of the approval process slowed everything down";
    - stultification, impairment, deadening

Derived forms: constipations

Type of: debasement, degradation, symptom

Encyclopedia: Constipation