constipate
/ˈkɒnstɪˌpeɪt/verb
constipate is spelled C-O-N-S-T-I-P-A-T-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, constipate means “To cause constipation in, render costive” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in constipate?
| Letters | 10: C-O-N-S-T-I-P-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 85 million words; the 293,966th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is constipate?
Constipate appears about once in every 85 million words in written English, the 293,966th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce constipate?
- /ˈkɒnstɪˌpeɪt/
Constipate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-constipate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of constipate
- constipates present, singular, he/she/it
- constipating participle, present
- constipated participle, past
- more constipate comparative
- most constipate superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does constipate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To cause constipation in, render costive.
The medication can constipate you if you’re not drinking enough water.
- 2
obsoleteTo constrict, contract (tissues, the body, fibres, etc.); to make firm and compact by pressing together.
- 3
obsoleteTo pack or crowd together.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteConstipated, costive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Constipate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | constiper |
| German | verstopfen , überfüllen |
| Spanish | estreñir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does constipate come from?
The adjective is first attested circa 1425, in Middle English, the verb in 1541; inherited from Middle English constipat(e) (“constipated”), borrowed Medieval Latin cōnstīpātus (“constipated”) (or through its Old French equivalent constipé), perfect passive participle of Medieval Latin cōnstīpō (“to cause constipation, to constipate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix)), from Classical Latin cōnstīpō (“to crowd or press tightly together”) (whence obsoleted sense 2 and 3), itself from con- + stīpō (“to press, cram”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).