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limit

 - 5 dictionary results

lim⋅it

  [lim-it]
Use limit in a Sentence
–noun
1. the final, utmost, or furthest boundary or point as to extent, amount, continuance, procedure, etc.: the limit of his experience; the limit of vision.
2. a boundary or bound, as of a country, area, or district.
3. Mathematics.
a. a number such that the value of a given function remains arbitrarily close to this number when the independent variable is sufficiently close to a specified point or is sufficiently large. The limit of 1/x is zero as x approaches infinity; the limit of (x − 1)2 is zero as x approaches 1.
b. a number such that the absolute value of the difference between terms of a given sequence and the number approaches zero as the index of the terms increases to infinity.
c. one of two numbers affixed to the integration symbol for a definite integral, indicating the interval or region over which the integration is taking place and substituted in a primitive, if one exists, to evaluate the integral.
4. limits, the premises or region enclosed within boundaries: We found them on school limits after hours.
5. Games. the maximum sum by which a bet may be raised at any one time.
6. the limit, Informal. something or someone that exasperates, delights, etc., to an extreme degree: You have made errors before, but this is the limit.
–verb (used with object)
7. to restrict by or as if by establishing limits (usually fol. by to): Please limit answers to 25 words.
8. to confine or keep within limits: to limit expenditures.
9. Law. to fix or assign definitely or specifically.
Origin:
1325–75; ME lymyt < L līmit- (s. of līmes) boundary, path between fields

Related forms:
lim⋅it⋅a⋅ble, adjective
lim⋅it⋅a⋅ble⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. confine, frontier, border. 8. restrain, bound.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To limit
lim·it   (lĭm'ĭt)   
n.  

  1. The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed.

  2. limits The boundary surrounding a specific area; bounds: within the city limits.

  3. A confining or restricting object, agent, or influence.

  4. The greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible: a withdrawal limit of $200; no minimum age limit.

  5. Games The largest amount which may be bet at one time in games of chance.

  6. Abbr. lim Mathematics A number or point L that is approached by a function f(x) as x approaches a if, for every positive number ε, there exists a number δ such that |f(x)-L| < ε if 0 < |x-a| < δ. Also called limit point, point of accumulation.

  7. Informal One that approaches or exceeds certain limits, as of credibility, forbearance, or acceptability: He is the limit of irresponsibility.

tr.v.   lim·it·ed, lim·it·ing, lim·its

  1. To confine or restrict within a boundary or bounds.

  2. To fix definitely; to specify.


[Middle English limite, from Old French, border, from Latin līmes, līmit-, border, limit.]
lim'it·a·ble adj.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to establish or keep within specified bounds. Limit refers principally to the establishment of a maximum beyond which a person or thing cannot or may not go: The Constitution limits the President's term of office to four years.
To restrict is to keep within prescribed limits, as of choice or action: The sale of alcoholic beverages is restricted to those over 21.
Confine suggests imprisonment, restraint, or impediment: The children were confined to the nursery.
Circumscribe connotes an encircling or surrounding line that confines, especially narrowly: "A man . . . should not circumscribe his activity by any inflexible fence of rigid rules" (John Stuart Blackie).
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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Word Origin & History

limit  (n.)
c.1375, "boundary, frontier," from O.Fr. limite "a boundary," from L. limitem (nom. limes) "a boundary, embankment between fields, border," related to limen "threshold." Colloquial sense of "the very extreme, the greatest degree imaginable" is from 1904. The verb is c.1380, from O.Fr. limiter, from L. limitare "to bound, limit, fix," from limes. In British company names, Limited (abbrev. Ltd.), 1855, is short for limited liability company, one in which the liability of partners is limited, usually to the amount of their capital investment.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

limit lim·it (lĭm'ĭt)
n.

  1. The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed.

  2. A confining or restricting object, agent, or influence.

  3. The greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible.

v. lim·it·ed, lim·it·ing, lim·its

  1. To confine or restrict within a boundary or bounds.

  2. To fix definitely; to specify.

lim'it·a·ble adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

limit

see go whole hog (the limit); sky's the limit; the limit.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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