confine

confine
I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French confines, plural, from Latin confine border, from neuter of confinis adjacent, from com- + finis end Date: 15th century 1. plural a. something (as borders or walls) that encloses <
outside the confines of the office or hospital — W. A. Nolen
>
; also something that restrains <
escape from the confines of soot and clutter — E. S. Muskie
>
b. scope 3 <
work within the confines of a small group — Frank Newman
>
2. a. archaic restriction b. obsolete prison II. verb (confined; confining) Date: 1523 intransitive verb archaic border transitive verb 1. a. to hold within a location b. imprison 2. to keep within limits <
will confine my remarks to one subject
>
Synonyms: see limitconfiner noun

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • confiné — confiné, ée [ kɔ̃fine ] adj. • de confiner 1 ♦ Enfermé. Vivre confiné chez soi. 2 ♦ (1842) Air confiné, non renouvelé. ⇒ renfermé. Atmosphère confinée. confiné, ée adj. d1./d Enfermé. Un malade confiné dans sa chambre. Fig. Un esprit confiné dans …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • confine — con·fine vt con·fined, con·fin·ing: to hold within a location; specif: imprison Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam Webster. 1996. confine …   Law dictionary

  • Confine — Country …   Wikipedia

  • confiné — confiné, ée (kon fi né, née) part. passé. Relégué. Confiné dans un lieu solitaire. •   Obscurément confiné au fond de sa province, D ALEMB. Éloges, Trublet …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Confine — Con fine (? or ?); 277), v. i. To have a common boundary; to border; to lie contiguous; to touch; followed by on or with. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Where your gloomy bounds Confine with heaven. Milton. [1913 Webster] Bewixt heaven and earth and skies …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Confine — Con fine, n. 1. Common boundary; border; limit; used chiefly in the plural. [1913 Webster] Events that came to pass within the confines of Judea. Locke. [1913 Webster] And now in little space The confines met of empyrean heaven, And of this world …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Confine — Con*fine (k[o^]n*f[imac]n ), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Confined}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Confining}.] [F. confiner to border upon, LL. confinare to set bounds to; con + finis boundary, end. See {Final}, {Finish}.] To restrain within limits; to restrict; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • confine — s.m. [dal lat. confine, neutro dell agg. confinis confinante ]. 1. (geogr.) [linea che delimita un territorio o un terreno da un altro] ▶◀ delimitazione, demarcazione, limite, termine, [di regione geografica o di stato] frontiera. 2. (estens.)… …   Enciclopedia Italiana

  • confine — (n.) c.1400, boundary, limit (usually as confines), from O.Fr. confins boundaries, from M.L. confines, from L. confinium (pl. confinia) boundary, limit, from confine, neut. of confinis bordering on, having the same boundaries, from com with (see… …   Etymology dictionary

  • confine — vb circumscribe, *limit, restrict Analogous words: bind, *tie: *restrain, curb, inhibit, check: *hamper, trammel, fetter, shackle, hog tie, manacle: *imprison, incarcerate, immure, intern, jail confine n bound, * …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • confine — ► VERB 1) (confine to) restrict (someone or something) within certain limits of (space, scope, or time). 2) (be confined to) be unable to leave (one s bed, home, etc.) due to illness or disability. 3) (be confined) dated (of a woman) remain in… …   English terms dictionary

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