restraint

C1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɹɪˈstɹeɪnt/ See IPA manual

Freq #13892

Meanings

1

noun
Calm, controlled behaviour; the act of holding back strong feelings or reactions.

He showed great restraint and did not lose his temper.
2

noun
A rule or condition that limits what someone can do.

New legal restraints were placed on the use of the data.
3

noun
A device used to hold someone or something in place.

Make sure the child's restraints in the car seat are tight.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · calm, controlled behaviour;... control

2 noun · a rule or condition that... constraint

3 noun · a device used to hold... fetter

Word family

Forms restraints

Derived forms nonrestraintrestraintfulrestraintlessself-restraintunrestraint

Related forms constraint restrain restrict

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

unlawful restraint
a restriction or limitation that is not permitted by law

Adjective + noun

Etymology

From Middle English restreynte, from Old French restreinte; more at restrain.

*streyg- Proto-Indo-European restreynte Middle English restreinte Old French

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# restraint

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ɹɪˈstɹeɪnt/
**Frequency rank:** 13892

## Meanings
1. Calm, controlled behaviour; the act of holding back strong feelings or reactions.
2. A rule or condition that limits what someone can do.
3. A device used to hold someone or something in place.

## Examples
- He showed great restraint and did not lose his temper.
- New legal restraints were placed on the use of the data.
- Make sure the child's restraints in the car seat are tight.

## Derived Forms
- nonrestraint
- restraintful
- restraintless
- self-restraint
- unrestraint

## Related Forms
- constraint
- restrain
- restrict

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *streyg-
- Root: restreynte
- Root: restreinte

## Etymology
From Middle English restreynte, from Old French restreinte; more at restrain.

## AI Etymology
Restraint comes from Middle English restreynte, from Old French restreinte; more at restrain. The historical chain includes *streyg- (Proto-Indo-European), restreynte (Middle English), and restreinte (Old French). The surrounding word family includes derived forms such as nonrestraint, restraintful, restraintless, and self-restraint and related forms such as constraint, restrain, and restrict. In present use it covers calm, controlled behaviour; the act of holding back strong feelings or reactions, a rule or condition that limits what someone can do, and a device used to hold someone or something in place.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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