To cause difficulty in having bowel movements, or to cause something to become blocked or clogged.
From Latin 'constipatus' (crowded together, compressed), from 'con-' (together) and 'stipare' (to crowd or pack tightly). The medical sense developed in the 16th century as the metaphor of 'packing things tightly' applied to bodily functions.
The Latin root 'stipare' literally means to pack things together tightly—so 'constipate' carries the original image of everything being crammed and compressed, which is exactly what happens medically!
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