constrain

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English

Etymology

From Middle English constreinen, from Old French constreindre, from Latin cōnstringō, from cōn- (“with, together”) +‎ stringō (“to draw, bind or tie tight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, to shear, stiff”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kənˈstɹeɪn/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪn
  • Hyphenation: con‧strain

Verb

constrain (third-person singular simple present constrains, present participle constraining, simple past and past participle constrained)

  1. (transitive) To force physically, by strong persuasion or pressuring; to compel; to oblige.
  2. (transitive) To keep within close bounds; to confine.
    • 2020 January 2, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 23:
      But it's not just Castlefield Corridor capacity that constrains services. All the junctions on the lines feeding into the corridor are flat, so they create conflict points as trains pass.
  3. (transitive) To reduce a result in response to limited resources.

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