stringency

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the quality of being strict, exacting, or rigorously enforced

   The stringency of the safety standard increased after the accident.

2. 2
   noun

   a condition in which money or credit is scarce and difficult to obtain

   Credit stringency forced several firms to postpone expansion.

From stringent + -cy, ultimately from Latin stringere ("to draw tight, bind"). The literal idea of tightness developed into strictness of rules and, in economics, restricted access to money or credit.

Topics