Obstipations

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of being unable to relieve oneself of feces or bowel movements
2. a state where constipation leads to discomfort and health issues
3. a condition characterized by infrequent or difficult passage of stool causing strain and distress

Etymology: "Obstipations" is the plural of "obstipation", a medical term for severe constipation with blockage. The noun is built from "obstipate", which comes from the Latin "obstipare", meaning "to crowd up" or "to stuff closed", formed from "ob-" (against, in the way) and "stipare", meaning "to press together" or "to cram". The Latin stem with "-ation" then gave the English noun, which carries the same sense of something pressed shut. The chain of suffixes runs through Latin "-ātiō", which passed into Old French as "-ation" and then into Middle English as "-acioun" before settling into the modern "-ation" form. English later added "-ion" to the suffix, producing "obstipation" as a word that describes the state of being stopped up. The plural "obstipations" simply refers to multiple such conditions or episodes.

Synonyms: constipations, blockages

Antonyms: diarrheas, loosening