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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English limit , from Old French limit , from Latin līmes ( “ a cross-path or balk between fields, hence a boundary, boundary line or wall, any path or road, border, limit ” ) . Displaced native Old English ġemǣre . Doublet of limes .
Noun
limit (plural limits )
A restriction; a bound beyond which one may not go.
There are several existing limits to executive power.
Two drinks is my limit tonight.
1922 February, James Joyce , “[Episode 17]”, in Ulysses , Paris: Shakespeare and Company , , →OCLC :Ever he would wander, selfcompelled, to the extreme limit of his cometary orbit, beyond the fixed stars and variable suns and telescopic planets, astronomical waifs and strays, to the extreme boundary of space [ …]
2012 March 6, Dan McCrum, Nicole Bullock and Guy Chazan, Financial Times , “Utility buyout loses power in shale gas revolution” :
At the time, there seemed to be no limit to the size of ever-larger private equity deals, with banks falling over each other to arrange financing on generous terms and to invest money from their own private equity arms.
( mathematics ) A value to which a sequence converges . Equivalently, the common value of the upper limit and the lower limit of a sequence: if the upper and lower limits are different, then the sequence has no limit (i.e., does not converge).
The sequence of reciprocals has zero as its limit .
( mathematics ) Any of several abstractions of this concept of limit.
Category theory defines a very general concept of limit .
( category theory ) The cone of a diagram through which any other cone of that same diagram can factor uniquely.
Synonyms: inverse limit , projective limit
Hyponyms: terminal object , categorical product , pullback , equalizer , identity morphism
( poker ) Fixed limit .
The final , utmost , or furthest point ; the border or edge.
the limit of a walk, of a town, or of a country
2021 September 8, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Electric tramways at the heart of our seaside story”, in RAIL , number 939 , page 59 :"Like many other large resorts, the town operated electric tramways, with open-topped cars. The journey down the steep incline to the harbour must have been exhilarating at times, testing the brakes on the vehicles to the limit ."
( obsolete ) The space or thing defined by limits.
c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :The archdeacon hath divided it / Into three limits very equally.
( obsolete ) That which terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent.
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare , “The life and death of King Richard the Second ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :the dateless limit of thy dear exile
c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare , “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :The limit of your lives is out.
( obsolete ) A restriction; a check or curb; a hindrance.
c. 1591–1592 (date written) , William Shakespeare , “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, ”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio ), London: Isaac Iaggard , and Ed Blount , published 1623 , →OCLC , :I prithee, give no limits to my tongue.
( logic , metaphysics ) A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic.
( cycling ) The first group of riders to depart in a handicap race.
( colloquial , as "the limit") A person who is exasperating , intolerable , astounding , etc.
1932 , Delos W. Lovelace , King Kong , published 1965 , page 63 :Englehorn looked at his employer in incredulous admiration. ‘You’re the limit ,’ he declared.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations
restriction; bound beyond which one may not go
Albanian: kufi (sq) m or f , cak (sq) m
Arabic: حَدّ (ar) m ( ḥadd )
Armenian: սահման (hy) ( sahman )
Basque: muga
Belarusian: мяжа́ f ( mjažá ) , лімі́т m ( limít )
Bulgarian: гра́ница (bg) f ( gránica ) , ограниче́ние (bg) n ( ograničénie ) , преде́л (bg) m ( predél )
Catalan: límit (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 極限 / 极限 (zh) ( jíxiàn )
Czech: mez (cs) f , limit (cs) m
Danish: grænse (da) c ( physical ) , begrænsning (da) c ( what one can handle )
Dutch: grens (nl) f , limiet (nl) m or f
Esperanto: limito (eo)
Estonian: piirang , piir (et)
Finnish: raja (fi) , rajoitus (fi)
French: limite (fr) f
Georgian: ზღვარი ( zɣvari ) , ლიმიტი ( limiṭi )
German: Grenze (de) f , Begrenzer (de) m
Greek: όριο (el) n ( ório ) , σύνορο (el) n ( sýnoro )
Ancient: ὅρος m ( hóros ) , ὅριον n ( hórion )
Hindi: सीमा (hi) f ( sīmā )
Hungarian: határ (hu)
Ido: limito (io)
Indonesian: batas (id)
Italian: limite (it) m , confine (it) m
Japanese: 限度 (ja) ( げんど, gendo ) , 限界 (ja) ( げんかい, genkai ) , リミット ( rimitto )
Javanese: wates
Khmer: កំណត់ (km) ( kɑmnɑt )
Korean: 제한(制限) (ko) ( jehan ) , 리미트 ( rimiteu )
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: سِنور ( sinur )
Latin: limes (la) m , terminus (la) m
Macedonian: граница (mk) f ( granica )
Malay: had (ms) , batas , hinggan ( archaic )
Malayalam: പരിധി (ml) ( paridhi )
Maori: tepe , tepenga
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: хязгаар (mn) ( xjazgaar ) , хэмжээ (mn) ( xemžee )
Norman: lînmite f
Norwegian:
Bokmål: begrensning (no) m or f
Occitan: limit (oc) m
Old English: ġemǣre n
Old Javanese: watĕs
Polish: limit (pl) m
Portuguese: limite (pt) m
Romanian: limită (ro) f , hotar (ro) n
Russian: преде́л (ru) m ( predél ) , лими́т (ru) m ( limít ) , грани́ца (ru) f ( graníca ) , ограниче́ние (ru) n ( ograničénije )
Scottish Gaelic: iomall m
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: гра̀ница f
Roman: grànica (sh) f
Slovak: medza f , limit m
Slovene: omejitev f
Spanish: límite (es) m
Swedish: ( physical ) gräns (sv) c , ( what one can handle ) begränsning (sv) c
Telugu: హద్దు (te) ( haddu )
Thai: ขีดจำกัด (th) ( kìit-jam-gàt )
Turkish: kısıtlayıcı (tr) , sınırlayıcı
Ukrainian: межа́ f ( mežá ) , лімі́т m ( limít )
Vietnamese: giới hạn (vi)
mathematics: value to which a sequence converges
mathematics: abstraction of concept of limit
Adjective
limit (not comparable )
( poker ) Being a fixed limit game.
See also
Etymology 2
From Middle English limiten , from Old French limiter , from Latin līmitō ( “ to bound, limit, fix, determine ” ) , from līmes ; see noun.
Verb
limit (third-person singular simple present limits , present participle limiting , simple past and past participle limited )
( transitive ) To restrict ; to circumscribe; not to allow to go beyond a certain bound , to set boundaries .
Synonyms: check , straiten ; see also Thesaurus:hinder , Thesaurus:curb
Antonyms: expand , release
We need to limit the power of the executive.
I'm limiting myself to two drinks tonight.
2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough? ”, in The Economist , volume 408 , number 8848 :[The Chinese government] has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.
2023 March 8, Gareth Dennis, “The Reshaping of things to come...”, in RAIL , number 978 , page 48 :Beeching is more disparaging about suburban services beyond the capital, and I think here lies one of the most critical shortcomings in his analysis. By not considering the potential for these cities to grow, both on their own merits and in response to London's limitations, he failed to future-proof these types of service, limiting them in favour of long-distance services.
( mathematics , intransitive ) To have a limit in a particular set.
The sequence limits on the point a .
( obsolete ) To beg , or to exercise functions , within a certain limited region.
a limiting friar
Derived terms
Translations
restrict
Arabic: حَدَّ (ar) ( ḥadda ) , حَدَّدَ ( ḥaddada )
Armenian: սահմանափակել (hy) ( sahmanapʻakel )
Belarusian: абмяжо́ўваць impf ( abmjažóŭvacʹ ) , абмежава́ць pf ( abmježavácʹ )
Bulgarian: огранича́вам (bg) impf ( ograničávam ) , огранича́ pf ( ograničá )
Catalan: limitar (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 制限 (zh) ( zhìxiàn ) , 限制 (zh) ( xiànzhì )
Czech: omezovat (cs) impf , omezit (cs) pf
Danish: begrænse (da)
Dutch: beperken (nl) , begrenzen (nl)
Esperanto: limigi
Estonian: piirama
Finnish: rajoittaa (fi)
French: limiter (fr)
German: befristen (de) , begrenzen (de) , beschränken (de)
Greek: περιορίζω (el) ( periorízo )
Ancient: ὁρίζω ( horízō )
Hebrew: הִגְבִּיל ( higbíl ) , תִּיחֵם \ תִּחֵם (he)
Hindi: सीमित ( sīmit )
Ingrian: rajata
Irish: cum , teorannaigh
Italian: limitare (it)
Japanese: 限る (ja) ( kagiru ) , 狭める (ja) ( sebameru ) , 制限する (ja) ( seigen suru ) , 限定する (ja) ( gentei suru )
Korean: 제한하다 (ko) ( jehanhada )
Latin: fīniō (la) , terminō (la) , cohibeō
Macedonian: ограничува impf ( ograničuva ) , ограничи pf ( ograniči )
Maori: tārohe , whakatina
Norman: lînmiter
Norwegian:
Bokmål: begrense (no)
Piedmontese: limité
Polish: ograniczać (pl) impf , ograniczyć (pl) pf
Portuguese: limitar (pt) , restringir (pt)
Romanian: limita (ro) , restrânge (ro)
Russian: ограни́чивать (ru) impf ( ograníčivatʹ ) , ограни́чить (ru) pf ( ograníčitʹ )
Scots: leemit
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: огранича́вати impf , огра̀ничити pf
Roman: ograničávati (sh) impf , ogràničiti (sh) pf
Slovak: obmedzovať , obmedziť pf , ohraničovať impf , ohraničiť pf
Slovene: omejevati impf , omejiti pf
Spanish: limitar (es)
Swedish: begränsa (sv)
Turkish: sınırlamak (tr) , tahdit etmek (tr) , kısıtlamak (tr)
Ukrainian: обме́жувати impf ( obméžuvaty ) , обмежо́вувати impf ( obmežóvuvaty ) , обме́жити pf ( obméžyty ) , омежува́ти pf ( omežuváty )
Vietnamese: hạn chế (vi) (限制 ), giới hạn (vi)
Further reading
“limit ”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary , Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam , 1913 , →OCLC .
“limit ”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co. , 1911 , →OCLC .
“limit ”, in OneLook Dictionary Search .
Anagrams
Czech
Pronunciation
Noun
limit m inan
limit
Declension
Declension of limit (hard masculine inanimate )
Further reading
“limit ”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
“limit ”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989
Hungarian
Etymology
From English limit .[ 1]
Pronunciation
Noun
limit (plural limitek )
limit ( the final, utmost, or furthest point )
Declension
References
Indonesian
Etymology
Internationalism , from Dutch limiet , from Middle Dutch limiten , from Old French limite , from Latin līmes .[ 1]
Pronunciation
Noun
limit (plural limit -limit , first-person possessive limitku , second-person possessive limitmu , third-person possessive limitnya )
limit :
the final, utmost, or furthest point; the border or edge .
Synonyms: batas , had
( mathematics ) A value to which a sequence converges. Equivalently, the common value of the upper limit and the lower limit of a sequence: if the upper and lower limits are different, then the sequence has no limit (i.e., does not converge).
Synonym: had ( Standard Malay )
References
^ Nicoline van der Sijs (2010 ) Nederlandse woorden wereldwijd , Den Haag: Sdu Uitgevers, →ISBN , →OCLC
Further reading
Polish
Etymology
Borrowed from French limite .
Pronunciation
IPA (key ) : /ˈli.mit/
Rhymes: -imit
Syllabification: li‧mit
Noun
limit m inan (related adjective limitowy )
limit ( restriction; bound beyond which one may not go )
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
limit in Wielki słownik języka polskiego , Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
limit in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
Borrowed from German Limit .
Noun
lìmit m (Cyrillic spelling лѝмит )
boundary
boundary that cannot be surpassed
Declension
Tagalog
Pronunciation
Noun
limit (Baybayin spelling ᜎᜒᜋᜒᜆ᜔ )
frequency
Synonyms: dalas , kadalasan , kalimitan , pagkamalimit
closeness ; compactness ; density
Synonyms: sinsin , kasinsinan
Usage notes
Derived terms