Constrain
/kənˈstreɪn/noun
To compel, restrict, or hold within limits.
Did you know?Its deepest root is tied to Latin stringere, “to draw tight,” the same ancient source behind words like strain, string, strict, and even stress—proof that language has been tightening the same invisible knot for millennia.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*streig-
“to press, squeeze, or draw tight”
Latin
Latin
stringere
“to bind tightly, draw tight, compress”
Latin
Latin
constringere
“to bind together tightly, compress, restrain”
Old French
Old French
contraindre
“to compel, force, restrain”
Middle English
English
constreinen
“to compel, force, restrain”
Modern English
English
constrain
“to compel or limit by force or necessity”