In the 18th century, the Swedish government made coffee and its paraphernalia (including cups and dishes) illegal for its supposed ties to rebellious sentiment.
CONSTRAIN
stiffen, tighten, tighten up, constrain
(verb) severely restrict in scope or extent; “tighten the rules”; “stiffen the regulations”
restrain, confine, hold, constrain
(verb) to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement; “This holds the local until the express passengers change trains”; “About a dozen animals were held inside the stockade”; “The illegal immigrants were held at a detention center”; “The terrorists held the journalists for ransom”
enforce, impose, constrain
(verb) compel to behave in a certain way; “Social relations impose courtesy”; “duty constrains one to act often contrary to one’s desires or inclinations”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Verb
constrain (third-person singular simple present constrains, present participle constraining, simple past and past participle constrained)
(transitive) To force physically, by strong persuasion or pressuring; to compel; to oblige.
(transitive) To keep within close bounds; to confine.
(transitive) To reduce a result in response to limited resources.
Anagrams
• consarn it, consarnit, introscan, non-racist, nonracist, transonic
Source: Wiktionary
Con*strain", v. t. [imp. & p.p. Constrained; p.pr. & vb.n. Constraining.] Etym: [OF. constraindre, F. contrainde, L. constringere; con- + stringere to draw tight. See Strain, and. cf. Constrict, Conbstringere.]
1. To secure by bonds; to chain; to bond or con He binds in hains The droway prophet, and his limbs constrains. Dryden. When winter frosts constrain the fields with old. Dryden.
2. To bring into a narrow compass; to compress. How the strait stays the slender waist constrain. Gay.
3. To hold back by force; to restrain; to repress. My sire in caves constrains the winds. Dryden.
4. To compel; to force; to necessiate; to oblige. The love of Christ constraineth us. 2. Cor. v. 14. I was constrained to appeal unto CActs xxviii. 19.
5. To violate; to ravish. [Obs.] Shak.
6. To produce in such a manner as to give an unnatural effet; as, a constrained voice.
Syn.
– To compel; force; drive; impel; urge; press.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
Recent Word Finds
Word of the Day
18 May 2024
SUNLIT
(adjective) lighted by sunlight; “the sunlit slopes of the canyon”; “violet valleys and the sunstruck ridges”- Wallace Stegner
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