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constraint

 - 3 dictionary results

con⋅straint

  [kuhn-streynt]
Use constraint in a Sentence
–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
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To constraint
con·straint   (kən-strānt')   
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.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Computing Dictionary

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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