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constraint
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5 dictionary results for: constraint
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
con·straint       [kuhn-streynt] Pronunciation Key
–noun
1.limitation or restriction.
2.repression of natural feelings and impulses: to practice constraint.
3.unnatural restraint in manner, conversation, etc.; embarrassment.
4.something that constrains.
5.the act of constraining.
6.the condition of being constrained.
7.Linguistics. a restriction on the operation of a linguistic rule or the occurrence of a linguistic construction.
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME constreinte < MF, n. use of fem. ptp. of constreindre; see constrain]

—Synonyms 1. force, obligation, pressure.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
con·straint       (kən-strānt')  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
  1. The threat or use of force to prevent, restrict, or dictate the action or thought of others.
  2. The state of being restricted or confined within prescribed bounds: soon tired of the constraint of military life.
  3. One that restricts, limits, or regulates; a check: ignored all moral constraints in his pursuit of success.
  4. Embarrassed reserve or reticence; awkwardness: "All constraint had vanished between the two, and they began to talk" (Edith Wharton).


[Middle English constreinte, from Old French, from feminine past participle of constraindre, to constrain; see constrain.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
constraint

noun
1. the state of being physically constrained; "dogs should be kept under restraint" 
2. a device that retards something's motion; "the car did not have proper restraints fitted" [syn: restraint] 
3. the act of constraining; the threat or use of force to control the thoughts or behavior of others 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

constraint programming, mathematics
A Boolean relation, often an equality or ineqality relation, between the values of one or more mathematical variables (often two). E.g. x>3 is a constraint on x. constraint satisfaction attempts to assign values to variables so that all constraints are true.
Usenet newsgroup: comp.constraints. FAQ.
(2002-06-08)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Constraint

Con*straint"\, n. [OF. constrainte, F. constrainte.] The act of constraining, or the state of being constrained; that which compels to, or restrains from, action; compulsion; restraint; necessity.

Long imprisonment and hard constraint. --Spenser.

Not by constraint, but by my choice, I came. --Dryden.

Syn: Compulsion; violence; necessity; urgency.

Usage: Constraint, Compulsion. Constraint implies strong binding force; as, the constraint of necessity; the constraint of fear. Compulsion implies the exertion of some urgent impelling force; as, driven by compulsion. The former prevents us from acting agreeably to our wishes; the latter forces us to act contrary to our will. Compulsion is always produced by some active agent; a constraint may be laid upon us by the forms of civil society, or by other outward circumstances. --Crabb.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Plug-in for geometric & dimensional constraints in AutoCAD. Quick ROI.
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