Limit

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: lim=it

CIDE DICTIONARY

Limit, n. [From L. limes, limitis: cf. F. limite; -or from E. limit, v. See Limit, v. t.].

•  That which terminates, circumscribes, restrains, or confines; the bound, border, or edge; the utmost extent; as, the limit of a walk, of a town, of a country; the limits of human knowledge or endeavor.  [1913 Webster]

  "As eager of the chase, the maid
  Beyond the forest's verdant limits strayed."  [1913 Webster]
•  The space or thing defined by limits.  [1913 Webster]

  "The archdeacon hath divided it
  Into three limits very equally."  [1913 Webster]
•  That which terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent.  [1913 Webster]

  "The dateless limit of thy dear exile."  [1913 Webster]

  "The limit of your lives is out."  [1913 Webster]
•  A restriction; a check; a curb; a hindrance.  [1913 Webster]

  "I prithee, give no limits to my tongue."  [1913 Webster]
•  A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic; a differentia.  [1913 Webster]
•  A determinate quantity, to which a variable one continually approaches, and may differ from it by less than any given difference, but to which, under the law of variation, the variable can never become exactly equivalent.  [1913 Webster]

Elastic limit. See under Elastic. -- Prison limits, a definite, extent of space in or around a prison, within which a prisoner has liberty to go and come.

Syn. -- Boundary; border; edge; termination; restriction; bound; confine.

Limit, v. t. [F. limiter, L. limitare, fr. limes, limitis, limit; prob. akin to limen threshold, E. eliminate; cf. L. limus sidelong.].

 To apply a limit to, or set a limit for; to terminate, circumscribe, or restrict, by a limit or limits; as, to limit the acreage of a crop; to limit the issue of paper money; to limit one's ambitions or aspirations; to limit the meaning of a word.  [1913 Webster]

Limiting parallels (Astron.), those parallels of latitude between which only an occultation of a star or planet by the moon, in a given case, can occur.

Limit, v. i. 

 To beg, or to exercise functions, within a certain limited region; as, a limiting friar.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Limit, n. & v.
--n.
1 a point, line, or level beyond which something does not or may not extend or pass.
2 (often in pl.) the boundary of an area.
3 the greatest or smallest amount permissible or possible (upper limit; lower limit).
4 Math. a quantity which a function or sum of a series can be made to approach as closely as desired.
--v.tr. (limited, limiting)
1 set or serve as a limit to.
2 (foll. by to) restrict.

Idiom

be the limit colloq. be intolerable or extremely irritating. off limits US out of bounds. within limits moderately; with some degree of freedom. without limit with no restriction.

Derivative

limitable adj. limitative adj. limiter n.

Etymology

ME f. L limes limitis boundary, frontier

THESAURUS

Limit

Thule, Ultima Thule, abate, accommodation, acme, adjust to, all, alter, apex, apogee, appoint, area, assign, assuage, bar, be into, be strong in, bitter end, border, border line, bottom dollar, bound, boundary, boundary condition, boundary line, bounds, bourn, box, box in, box up, break boundary, breakoff point, bridle, brim, brink, brow, burden, butt, butt end, cap, capacity, caution, ceiling, channel, check, circumscribe, circumscription, climax, cloud nine, compass, condition, confine, confinement, confines, constrict, contain, content, continence, contract, copyright, cordage, cramp, crest, crown, culmen, culmination, curb, cutoff, cutoff point, deadline, define, delimit, delimitate, delimitation, determinant, determine, diminish, discipline, district, divide, division line, draw in, draw the line, edge, enclose, end, enough, environs, extent, extreme, extreme limit, extremity, fag end, farthest bound, feature, finish, fix, floor, focus, follow, frontier, go in, go in for, guide, heaven, heavens, hedge, hedge about, height, hem, hem in, high noon, high-water mark, highest degree, highest pitch, highest point, hinder, hold in check, inhibit, interface, it, joke, jumping-off place, keep from spreading, keep within bounds, leaven, lessen, limen, limitation, limiting factor, limits, line, line of demarcation, localize, low-water mark, lower limit, major in, march, margin, mark, mark out, maximum, measure, meridian, mete, minor in, mitigate, moderate, moderation, modify, modulate, mountaintop, narrow, ne plus ultra, nib, no place higher, noon, nth degree, outrage, palliate, patent, peak, perimeter, periphery, pinch, pinnacle, pitch, point, pole, poundage, precincts, prescribe, prescription, proscription, purlieus, pursue, qualification, qualify, quantity, quarter, reduce, region, register, regulate by, restrain, restraint, restrict, restriction, ridge, rim, room, scant, season, separate, set, set conditions, set limits, seventh heaven, sky, snape, soften, space, specialize, specialize in, spire, stand, start, starting line, starting point, stint, stowage, straiten, stub, stump, summit, surprise, surround, tag, tag end, tail, tail end, taper, target date, temper, term, terminal date, termination, terminus, territory, the last straw, the limit, the whole, threshold, tighten, time allotment, tip, tip-top, tonnage, too much, top, upmost, upper extremity, upper limit, uppermost, utmost, utmost extent, uttermost, verge, vertex, very top, volume, zenith, zone

ROGET THESAURUS

Limit

Chance

N chance, lot, fate, luck, good luck, mascot, speculation, venture, stake, game of chance, mere shot, random shot, blind bargain, leap in the dark, pig in a poke, fluke, potluck, faro bank, flyer, limit, uncertainty, uncertainty principle, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, drawing lots, sortilegy, sortition, sortes, sortes Virgilianae, rouge et noir, hazard, ante, chuck-a-luck, crack-loo, craps, faro, roulette, pitch and toss, chuck, farthing, cup tossing, heads or tails cross and pile, poker-dice, wager, bet, betting, gambling, the turf, gaming house, gambling house, betting house, bucket shop, gambling joint, totalizator, totalizer, hell, betting ring, dice, dice box, gambler, gamester, man of the turf, adventurer, dicer, fortuitous, unintentional, unintended, accidental, not meant, undesigned, purposed, unpremeditated, unforeseen, uncontemplated, never thought of, random, indiscriminate, promiscuous, undirected, aimless, driftless, designless, purposeless, causeless, without purpose, possible, unforeseeable, unpredictable, chancy, risky, speculative, dicey, randomly, by chance, fortuitously, unpredictably, unforeseeably, casually, unintentionally, unwittingly, en passant, by the way, incidentally, as it may happen, at random, at a venture, at haphazard, acierta errando, dextro tempore, fearful concatenation of circumstances, fortuitous combination of circumstances, le jeu est le fils d'avarice et le pere du desespo, the happy combination of fortuitous circumstances, the fortuitous or casual concourse of atoms, God does not play dice with the universe, chance, indetermination, accident, fortune, hazard, hap, haphazard, chance medley, random, luck, raccroc, casualty, contingence, adventure, hit, fate, equal chance, lottery, tombola, toss up, turn of the table, turn of the cards, hazard of the die, chapter of accidents, fickle finger of fate, cast of the dice, throw of the dice, heads or tails, flip of a coin, wheel of Fortune, sortes, sortes Virgilianae, probability, possibility, odds, long odds, run of luck, accidentalness, main chance, odds on, favorable odds, contingency, dependence (uncertainty), situation (circumstance), statistics, theory of Probabilities, theory of Chances, bookmaking, assurance, speculation, gaming, casual, fortuitous, accidental, adventitious, causeless, incidental, contingent, uncaused, undetermined, indeterminate, random, statistical, possible, unintentional, by chance, accidentally, by accident, casually, perchance, for aught one knows, as good would have it, as bad would have it, as luck would have it, as ill-luck would have it, as chance would have it, as it may be, as it may chance, as it may turn up, as it may happen, as the case may be, grasps the skirts of happy chance, the accident of an accident, There but for the grace of God go I.

Completeness

N completeness, completion, integration, allness, entirety, perfection, solidity, solidarity, unity, all, ne plus ultra, ideal, limit, complement, supplement, make-weight, filling, up, impletion, saturation, saturity, high water, high tide, flood tide, spring tide, fill, load, bumper, bellyful, brimmer, sufficiency, complete, entire, whole, perfect, full, good, absolute, thorough, plenary, solid, undivided, with all its parts, all- sided, exhaustive, radical, sweeping, thorough-going, dead, regular, consummate, unmitigated, sheer, unqualified, unconditional, free, abundant, brimming, brimful, topful, topfull, chock full, choke full, as full as an egg is of meat, as full as a vetch, saturated, crammed, replete, fraught, laden, full-laden, full-fraught, full-charged, heavy laden, completing, supplemental, supplementary, ascititious, completely, altogether, outright, wholly, totally, in toto, quite, all out, over head and ears, effectually, for good and all, nicely, fully, through thick and thin, head and shoulders, neck and heel, neck and crop, in all respects, in every respect, at all points, out and out, to all intents and purposes, toto coelo, utterly, clean, clean as a whistle, to the full, to the utmost, to the backbone, hollow, stark, heart and soul, root and branch, down to the ground, to the top of one's bent, as far as possible, a outrance, throughout, from first to last, from beginning to end, from end to end, from one end to the other, from Dan to Beersheba, from head to foot, from top to toe, from top to bottom, de fond en comble, a fond, a capite ad calcem, ab ovo usque ad mala, fore and aft, every, whit, every inch, cap-a-pie, to the end of the chapter, up to the brim, up to the ears, up to the eyes, as a as can be, on all accounts, sous tous les rapports, with a vengeance, with a witness, falsus in uno falsus in omnibus, false in one thing, false in everything, omnem movere lapidem, una scopa nuova spazza bene.

End

N end, close, termination, desinence, conclusion, finis, finale, period, term, terminus, endpoint, last, omega, extreme, extremity, gable end, butt end, fag-end, tip, nib, point, tail, verge, tag, peroration, bonne bouche, bottom dollar, tail end, rear guard, consummation, denouement, finish, fate, doom, doomsday, crack of doom, day of Judgment, dies irae, fall of the curtain, goal, destination, limit, determination, expiration, expiry, extinction, extermination, death, end of all things, finality, eschatology, break up, commencement de la fin, last stage, turning point, coup de grace, deathblow, knock-out-blow, sockdolager, ending, final, terminal, definitive, crowning, last, ultimate, hindermost, rear, caudal, vergent, conterminate, conterminous, conterminable, ended, at an end, settled, decided, over, played out, set at rest, conclusive, penultimate, last but one, last but two, unbegun, uncommenced, fresh, finally, in fine, at the last, once for all, as high as Heaven and as deep as hell, deficit omne quod nascitur, en toute chose il faut considerer la fin, finem respice, ultimus Romanorum.

Prohibition

VB prohibit, inhibit, forbid, put one's veto upon, disallow, enjoin, ban, outlaw, taboo, proscribe, estop, bar, debar, forefend, keep in, keep within bounds, restrain, cohibit, withhold, limit, circumscribe, clip the wings of, restrict, interdict, taboo, put under an interdiction, place under an interdiction, put under the ban, place under the ban, proscribe, exclude, shut out, shut the door, bolt the door, show the door, warn off, dash the cup from one's lips, forbid the banns.

Circumscription

VB circumscribe, limit, bound, confine, inclose, surround, compass about, imprison, hedge in, wall in, rail in, fence round, fence in, hedge round, picket, corral, enfold, bury, encase, incase, pack up, enshrine, inclasp, wrap up, embay, embosom, containment (inclusion).

Limit

N limit, boundary, bounds, confine, enclave, term, bourn, verge, curbstone, but, pale, reservation, termination, terminus, stint, frontier, precinct, marches, backwoods, boundary line, landmark, line of demarcation, line of circumvallation, pillars of Hercules, Rubicon, turning point, ne plus ultra, sluice, floodgate, definite, conterminate, conterminable, terminal, frontier, bordering, thus far, thus far and no further, stick to the reservation, go beyond the pale, Special.

Qualification

VB qualify, limit, modify, leaven, give a color to, introduce new conditions, narrow, temper, waffle, quibble, hem and haw (be uncertain), equivocate (sophistry), depend, depend on, be contingent on (effect), allow for, make allowance for, admit exceptions, take into account, modulate, moderate, temper, season, leaven, take exception.