constraint

English

WOTD – 10 January 2016

Etymology

From Middle English constreynt, constreynte, from Old French constreinte, past participle of constreindre (“to constrain”), from Latin cōnstringō (corresponding to the past participle cōnstrictus).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /kənˈstɹeɪnt/
• (General Australian, New Zealand) IPA^(key): /kənˈstɹæɪnt/

  • Audio (Queensland):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪnt

Noun

constraint (countable and uncountable, plural constraints)

1. Something that constrains; a restriction.

   Coordinate term: problem

   An engineer must recognize the difference between a constraint (to work within) and a problem (to be eliminated via resolution).

2. An irresistible force or compulsion.

   They confessed, but only under severe constraint.

3. The repression of one's feelings.

   (Can we add an example for this sense?)

4. (mathematics) A condition that a solution to an optimization problem must satisfy.
5. (databases) A linkage or other restriction that maintains database integrity.

Derived terms

• budget constraint
• constraint cluster
• constrainted
• constraintive
• constraintless
• constraint logic programming
• constraint satisfaction
• Hamiltonian constraint
• holonomic constraint
• integrity constraint
• liquidity constraint
• markedness constraint
• metaconstraint
• multiconstraint
• nonconstraint
• subconstraint
• theory of constraints
• time constraint
• unconstraint
• unconstrainted

Related terms

• constrain
• constrict
• restraint

Translations

something that constrains

• Albanian: fre (sq)
• Arabic: متطلب
• Bulgarian: принуда (bg) f (prinuda)
• Catalan: restricció f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 約束 / 约束 (zh) (yuēshù)

• Dutch: beperking (nl) f, inperking (nl) f, begrenzing (nl) f
• Finnish: rajoitus (fi), raja (fi), rajoite (fi)
• French: contrainte (fr) f
• Galician: restrición (gl) f
• German: Einschränkung (de) f, Beschränkung (de) f, Restriktion (de) f, Zwang (de) m, Hemmnis (de) n, Auflage (de) f, Bedingung (de) f, Nötigung (de) f, Befangenheit (de) f, Verlegenheit (de) f, Geziertheit f, Zurückhaltung (de) f, Randbedingung (de) f, Nebenbedingung f
• Greek: περιορισμός (el) m (periorismós)
• Icelandic: ófrelsi n
• Italian: vincolo (it) m, costrizione (it) f
• Japanese: 束縛 (ja) (そくばく, sokubaku)
• Malay: kekangan
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: begrensning (no) m or f

• Ottoman Turkish: باصقی (baskı)
• Polish: ograniczenie (pl) n, przymus (pl) m
• Portuguese: coação (pt) f, compulsão (pt) f
• Romanian: constrângere (ro) f, obligație (ro) f
• Russian: ограниче́ние (ru) n (ograničénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: èiginn f
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ograničénje n, усиљеност f

  Roman: ograničénje (sh) n, usiljenost (sh) f

• Spanish: constreñimiento m, limitación (es) f, restricción (es) f
• Turkish: kısıtlama (tr), sınırlama (tr), tahdit (tr)
• Ukrainian: обме́ження n (obméžennja)

mathematics: condition to a solution

• Dutch: beperking (nl) f, randvoorwaarde (nl) f
• Finnish: ehto (fi)
• French: contrainte (fr) f
• German: Zwangsbedingung f
• Hindi: व्यवरोध (vyavrodh)
• Italian: vincolo (it) m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: beskrankning m or f

• Polish: ograniczenie (pl) n, warunek (pl) m
• Portuguese: restrição (pt) f
• Russian: ограниче́ние (ru) n (ograničénije)
• Spanish: restricción (es) f

Further reading

• constraint on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• in contrast