restrainn.
/rᵻˈstreɪn/, U.S. /rəˈstreɪn/, /riˈstreɪn/ Now rare.
= restraint n. (in various senses). Frequently in without restrain.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > [noun]
havingeOE
holdc1230
withholdingc1386
restrainingc1390
refraininga1398
repression?a1425
repressing1431
bridlingc1443
restraint1443
restrainc1449
repressurec1487
restingc1503
abstention1521
controlling1523
controlment1525
distrain1531
staying1563
control1564
refrain1568
retention1578
check1579
restrainment1579
refranation1583
cohibition1586
withholdment1640
curbing1661
coercion1827
chastenment1882
detent1907
clamp-down1940
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 394 (MED) Thei mowe not eny punysching or eny restreyne sette to preestis or clerkis.
c1454 R. Pecock Folewer to Donet 193 (MED) If þe ije seid consideracioun of to wirchyng in his largest spredyng, wiþout restreyne and narowyng, schulde be such ground..þanne bi þe multipliyng of it we schulde haue mo tablis þan were accordyng to be of goddis lawis.
1601 Marie Magdalens Lament. sig. Hiii Though thou did forbid, twas no restraine.
1643 C. Herle Answer to Fernes Reply 18 The King is able to doe Justice..without restraine.
1677 E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) I. (Camden) 146 It looked as if they were guilty of confederacy for wch they were under soe close a restraine.
1734 E. S. Rowe Lett. Moral & Entertaining (ed. 2) II. xv. 85 I bid my Soul take its Ease—banish every Care—and act without Restrain [later edd. restraint].
1799 F. Jacson Plain Sense (ed. 3) III. iii. 42 Ellen, left to herself, wept without restrain [1796 (ed. 2) restraint] and without measure.
1841 Philadelphia Visiter Nov. 245/1 They hoped to be able to leave Paris in a week, and wished to enjoy each other's society without restrain in the interim.
1894 Altruistic Rev. Sept. 150/2 The destruction of this flood being lessened by legislation and the restrain of the ‘union’.
1911 C. Fuller Bramble Bush xxviii. 284 The restrain of his presence was quite apparent in the expurgated edition of Matson's gossip.
2001 K. G. Butler Idea of Right v. 96 God's power to act, to make rules and laws without restrain, is mimicked by the Hobbesian Sovereign.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
restrainv.1
/rᵻˈstreɪn/, U.S. /rəˈstreɪn/, /riˈstreɪn/α. Middle English resstrayne, Middle English restrane, Middle English restren, Middle English restryne, Middle English–1600s restraine, Middle English–1600s restrayn, Middle English–1600s restrayne, Middle English–1600s restreign, Middle English–1600s restreigne, Middle English–1600s restreine, Middle English–1600s restreyn, Middle English–1600s restreyne, 1500s restraygne, 1500s restrean, 1500s restrene, 1500s restreygne, 1500s restrine, 1500s–1700s restrein, 1500s– restrain; also Scottish pre-1700 rastrenȝe, pre-1700 restrane, pre-1700 restreane, pre-1700 restren, pre-1700 restrenȝe, pre-1700 restrenȝhe, pre-1700 restrenyhe, pre-1700 restreygne, pre-1700 restreygnhe, 1900s– restreen (south-western).
β. (Perhaps transmission errors) late Middle English resteine, 1500s restain, 1500s restayned, 1500s–1600s restaine.
1. † d. intransitive with reflexive meaning. To limit or confine oneself to something. Obsolete. rare.
a. transitive. To restrict, limit, confine.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restraint depriving of liberty > confinement > confine [verb (transitive)]
beloukOE
loukOE
sparc1175
pena1200
bepen?c1225
pind?c1225
prison?c1225
spearc1300
stopc1315
restraina1325
aclosec1350
forbara1375
reclosea1382
ward1390
enclose1393
locka1400
reclusea1400
pinc1400
sparc1430
hamperc1440
umbecastc1440
murea1450
penda1450
mew?c1450
to shut inc1460
encharter1484
to shut up1490
bara1500
hedge1549
hema1552
impound1562
strain1566
chamber1568
to lock up1568
coop1570
incarcerate1575
cage1577
mew1581
kennel1582
coop1583
encagea1586
pound1589
imprisonc1595
encloister1596
button1598
immure1598
seclude1598
uplock1600
stow1602
confine1603
jail1604
hearse1608
bail1609
hasp1620
cub1621
secure1621
incarcera1653
fasten1658
to keep up1673
nun1753
mope1765
quarantine1804
peg1824
penfold1851
encoop1867
oubliette1884
jigger1887
corral1890
maroon1904
to bang up1950
to lock down1971
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) ix. 63 Ant te lord king ne attendez noȝt þoru þis statut to restreinen þe laste Statut of Westmunestre.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add.) f. 130 Mater is I-clepid endeles..by cause þat his appetites beþ nouȝt restreyned neiþir I-lymytid in certeyne.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 3873 (MED) Bischopes here of lagher state..For-why þair dignite here is les And þarfor þair powere restreyned es.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 121 (MED) Be reason hereoff he will þe more restrayn his yeftis off oþer off his livelod.
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) 1013 (MED) He seyde he wold nat restrayne hys lyberte.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 150 I restraine this accusation from being universall.
1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. i. 2 That they did use in all ages..to limit and restrain the Exercise of Papal power.
1699 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) IV. 497 The bill for restraining the number of officers sitting in the house of commons.
1738 tr. S. Guazzo Art of Conversat. 136 The Denomination of Gentry was much more restrained by Diogenes.
1748 B. Robins & R. Walter Voy. round World by Anson ii. x. 237 This trade..is confined by very particular regulations, somewhat analogous to those by which the trade of the register ships from Cadiz to the West-Indies is restrained.
1804 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. IV. 501 Conditions to restrain these powers generally are void, as being repugnant to the estate limited.
1876 Ann. Reg. 51 The cross on the cheque did not restrain its negotiability.
1938 H. A. Murray Explor. in Personality iii. 226 Radicalism is usually opposed to authority, to any force that restrains liberty.
1989 Japan Times 16 May 5/2 Is your lifestyle restrained by the layout or utility of your home?
2003 Eastern Eye 14 Feb. 18/5 We continue to urge both India and Pakistan to take steps to restrain their nuclear and missile programs.
b. transitive. To restrict or limit to (also †unto).
ΚΠ
?a1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (N.Y. Acad. Med.) f. 21v (MED) Causez..of reume..Haly Abbas..restreyned þam vnto 6 þinges.
1509 J. Fisher Mornynge Remembraunce Countesse of Rychemonde (de Worde) sig. Aiv She restrayned her appetyte tyl one mele & tyl one fysshe on ye day.
1529 T. More Supplyc. Soulys f. xviiiv Therfore ys moste comenly thys word hell restayned to the specyall sygnyfycacyon of that low place byneth.
1581 R. Mulcaster Positions xxxix. 199 The tearme of nobilitie amongest vs, is restrained to one order.
1644 C. Jessop Angel Church of Ephesus 50 When the title of Bishop was restrained unto one of the Presbyters.
1696 R. Bentley Of Revel. & Messias 20 The conditions of Salvation..are..restrain'd to those times and countries alone.
1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 418. ¶7 His Soil is not restrained to any particular Sett of Plants.
1785 W. Paley Princ. Moral & Polit. Philos. iii. i. xvii. 167 He swears ‘to speak the whole truth’, without restraining it, as before, to the questions that shall be asked.
1850 R. C. Trench Notes Miracles (ed. 3) xxvii. 365 The language shows that the rebuke is not restrained to him, but intended to pass on to many more.
1864 H. James in N. Amer. Rev. Oct. 583 Mr. Senior has restrained the partiality of blood to decent limits.
1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics ix. ix. 154/2 To make this device practical, it is necessary only to restrain the beam to a closed path around the flux.
1973 E. Wilson Embroidery Bk. (1975) ix. 363 Making designs with cutouts of colored paper can help you restrain your drawing to the silhouette shapes ideal for stylized needlework.
2002 D. Goy-Blanquet in M. Hattaway Cambr. Compan. Shakespeare's Hist. Plays (2003) iv. 63 A team of writers formed..to continue the project, but decided to restrain it to the British Isles.
c. transitive. Chiefly in legal contexts: to prohibit or forbid (a thing or action).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > prohibition > prohibit [verb (transitive)] > prohibit a thing to a person
restrain1491
inhibit1599
1491 in Acts Lords of Council Civil Causes (1839) I. 169/1 All þe saidis giftis..Ar derogate adnullit restrenȝeit & defendit quhill þe kingis age of xxj ȝeris.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. PPPiiii In the which god restrayneth or forbyddeth man any thyng.
c1533 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. II. 53 The said blake rentes whiche by parliament is restrayned to be any further payd by any of the Kinges subjectes.
1628 Buccleuch MSS (Hist. MSS Comm.) (1899) I. 268 The doubt..you may well understand to go only to the trees and timber—the coppice woods are not meant to be restrained.
1720 J. Cockburn Hist. & Exam. Duels iv. 97 There was good reson to forbid and restrain these Meetings of Persons and People to fight.
1785 Acts & Laws Mass. (1890) 429 Assign some certain places for the exercising of any of the trades or employments..and forbid and restrain the exercise of either of them in other places.
1840 R. Godson Pract. Treat. Law Patents (ed. 2) ii. viii. 255 The Court will grant an injunction to restrain the sale of articles.
1898 R. B. Michell Law of Easements (ed. 2) App. vi. 320 B may obtain an injunction to restrain the piracy.
1930 Federal Reporter 2nd Ser. 38 470 This action was begun June 5, 1909..to restrain the proving up of homestead entries..upon tracts of land.
1999 K. Scott Gareth Evans xi. 132 The court..upheld the Commonwealth's right to restrain publication of the book.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > quality of being restricted or limited > be restricted or limited [verb (intransitive)] > restrict oneself to
restrain1629
confine1646
1629 E. Sandys Europæ Speculum 13 Not to enlarge in Moderne graunts; but to restraine to one Pope of renowmed fresh memorie.
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions iv. v. 4350 Cornelius à Lapide..would seeme to restraine to the ensuing particularities onely.
2. † b. transitive. To forbid (a person) to do something. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To check, hold back, or prevent (a person or thing) from some course of action. Also with †of, †for to do something.In quot. 1795, with object implied.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (transitive)] > specifically from doing something
conclude1382
restrain1384
refraina1398
keepa1400
to coart of1430
revokec1450
stop1488
contain1523
retract1548
stay1560
retire1567
straiten1622
confine1651
obligec1661
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restriction or limitation > restrict or limit [verb (transitive)]
thringc1250
restrain1384
bound1393
abounda1398
limita1398
pincha1450
pin?a1475
prescribec1485
define1513
coarcta1529
circumscribe1529
restrict1535
conclude1548
limitate1563
stint1567
chamber1568
contract1570
crampern1577
contain1578
finish1587
pound1589
confine1597
terminate1602
noosec1604
border1608
constrain1614
coarctate1624
butta1631
to fasten down1694
crimp1747
bourn1807
to box in1845
1384 Proclam. Sir Nicholas Brembre in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 32 (MED) That vitaillers foreins..shulde be restrained and ylet of hire comyngge to the citee.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §522 Ther be ful manye thynges þt shul restreyne yow of vengeance takynge.
c1440 in G. G. Perry Eng. Prose Treat. (1921) 7 (MED) Till þat my herte heldede mare, and bowghede, Thane to restreyne me fra all thoghtes þat I knewe agaynes Goddes will.
c1450 (c1375) G. Chaucer Anelida & Arcite (Digby) (1878) l. 235 I ne can my hert not restreyne For to love hym alwey.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. xx. f. lxvjv How may ye now fro wepynge you restreyne.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry ii. f. 55v The sweeter also they wyll be, the more you restrayne the stalke from shooting vp.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 171 I..restrained my curiositie from attempting to view this Castle.
1654 E. Wolley tr. ‘G. de Scudéry’ Curia Politiæ 123 The multitudes could not be restrained from calling me the Restaurator of his Empire.
1726 Bp. J. Butler 15 Serm. i. 14 This Principle in Man..tends to restrain Men from doing Mischief to each other.
1788 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall V. l. 245 The weakness of their Arabian brethren had restrained them from opposing his ambition.
1795 M. Edgeworth Lett. for Lit. Ladies 62 The motives which restrain from vice must be encreased, by the clear conviction that vice and wretchedness are inseparably united.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) I. 147 The Court of Chancery will also restrain a tenant for life..from cutting down timber.
1880 L. Stephen Alexander Pope iii. 77 This independence did not restrain him from writing poetry.
1913 W. Cather O Pioneers! ii. x. 172 Ask your lawyers what you can do to restrain me from disposing of my own property.
1991 Daily Tel. 5 Jan. 1/2 Aziz will be seeking a commitment from America to restrain Israel from launching a pre-emptive strike.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > prohibition > prohibit [verb (transitive)] > prohibit a person from doing something
forbidc1175
to say naya1393
prohibit1483
embarc1506
inhibitc1540
restrain1544
interdictc1575
1544 P. Betham tr. Earl of Purlilia Precepts War ii. xxii. sig. Kiiij Forbydde and restrayne, thy souldyours to bye theyr vitayles, in those places where they kepe warre.
1579 T. North tr. Plutarch Liues 7 Restrayning all manner of people to beare sayle in any vessell or bottome.
1649 G. Langbaine Answer Vniv. Oxford 10 Restrained all Bakers and Brewers..to bake or brew within the Citty, except [etc.].
3.
a. transitive. To keep (a person or animal) in check or under control. Frequently reflexive.In quot. 1733 intransitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > restrained or moderate behaviour > exercise moderation or restraint [verb (reflexive)]
hold971
withholdc1200
containc1290
keep1340
restraina1387
refrainc1450
retaina1500
attemper1548
retract1548
temper1560
reserve1586
check1833
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (transitive)] > hold in check
bridleOE
tempera1050
chastec1230
to hold inc1300
straina1340
stintc1366
attemperc1380
restraina1387
rulea1391
ward1390
coarctc1400
obtemper?a1425
to hold or keep (a person) shortc1425
compesce1430
stent1488
coactc1520
repressa1525
compress1526
control1548
snaffle1555
temperatea1568
brank1574
halter1577
curb1588
shortena1599
to bear (a rein) upon1603
check1629
coerceate1657
bit1825
throttle1862
hold1901
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (intransitive)] > hold in check
check1678
restrain1733
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1871) III. 187 (MED) Þere were i-made tweye consuls, þat ȝif þat oon wolde outrage, þe oþer myȝte hym restreyne [v.r. refreyne].
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. 5413 (MED) I mai miselve noght restreigne, That I nam evere in loves peine.
1425 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1425/3/15 He sall..do his besynace to restrenyhe sic trespassouris and misdoaris.
a1500 tr. Thomas à Kempis De Imitatione Christi (Trin. Dublin) (1893) 18 (MED) We wol haue oþir restreyned by statutes, & we wol suffre us in no wyse to be more restreyned.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 102 Without..that oure wnworthines Restrenȝe ws, we ma..Baith land and law, and libertie agane..reskew.
1591 E. Spenser Prosopopoia in Complaints 1073 Hardly..were they restrayned so, Till that the Foxe [etc.].
a1667 A. Cowley Several Disc. by Way of Ess., Verse & Prose 85 in Wks. (1668) If I want skill or force to restrain the Beast that I ride upon.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress (ed. 2) 2 In this plight therefore he went home, and restrained himself as long as he could.
1715 D. Defoe Family Instructor I. i. iii. 75 Because I have not restrain'd them, and show'd them their Duty.
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man ii. 44 Two Principles in Human Nature reign; Self-Love, to urge; and Reason, to restrain.
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph II. 170 Our present state will not suffer us to keep pace with you..: restrain yourself a little.
1827 R. Southey Hist. Peninsular War II. 67 The officers made not the slightest attempt at restraining the wretches under their command.
1883 J. A. Froude Short Stud. 4th Ser. i. vii. 82 Alexander told him that, unless peace was made, he could not restrain the archbishop longer.
1930 A. P. Herbert Water Gipsies xxi. 318 He had caught sight of Jane, able to restrain herself no more, clapping, laughing, crying.
1963 P. White Let. 10 Feb. (1994) vii. 218 There seem to have been wild scenes in N.Z. with police dogs brought in to restrain the crowds.
2005 New Yorker 11 July 70/2 Interrogators encountering resistance begin to lose the ability to restrain themselves.
b. transitive. To deprive (a person or animal) of liberty or rights. Also with †from. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restraint depriving of liberty > deprive of liberty by restraint [verb (transitive)]
at-hold?c1225
to hold inc1300
withholda1325
distrainc1340
restrain1397
stressa1425
detain1485
to lay fast1560
constrain1590
enstraiten1619
embinda1628
pin1738
coerce1780
deport1909
1397–8 Rolls of Parl.: Richard II (Electronic ed.) Parl. Sept. 1397 Pleas §7. m. 4 In the which commissioun I..restreyned my lord of his fredom.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 689/1 It is a sore thyng to restrayne a man of his libertye.
1583 Ld. Burghley Execution of Iustice sig. B.i.v Yet was he not restrayned of his libertie.
1655 W. Gouge & T. Gouge Learned Comm. Hebrewes (xiii. 3) iv. 22 At another time we may be bound and restrained of liberty.
1661 W. Caton tr. Eusebius Abridgem. Eccl. Hist. App. 223 The Christian-Quakers have bene much more restrained of their Lybertie then other Sects.
1719 W. Wood Surv. Trade (ed. 2) 297 To curb or restrain our own Subjects from their natural Rights.
1785 W. Paley Princ. Moral & Polit. Philos. ii. xi. 83 The pain..which we occasion to brutes by restraining them of their liberty.
1824 J. Duncan Treat. Slavery iii. 31 The question is..whether all masters..have a power according to the laws and regulations of slave states, to restrain them [sc. slaves] of these natural rights and privileges.
1882 Times 2 Oct. 8/2 I was not discharged until nearly midnight,..having been restrained of my liberty for about ten hours.
1931 J. P. Clark Deportation of Aliens from U.S. to Europe viii. 315 Being unlawfully restrained of his liberty he is entitled to a writ of habeas corpus.
c. transitive. To confine or imprison (a person or thing); to restrict freedom of movement or action using some means of restraint. In early use also: †to embargo (cf. restraint of princes at restraint n. 1b) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > general proceedings > arrest > [verb (transitive)] > detain in custody
detain1485
restrain1491
hold1903
deport1909
1491 tr. XIJ. Proffites of Tribulacyon v. sig. Ciiij v, in Bk. Diuerse Ghostly Maters (Caxton) If thou wylte haue god to the merciable, suffre the to be restreyned with thyse bondis of tribulacyon.
1542 Chronicle of Fabyan II. 487 This yere corn was verie dere & had ben dearer if marchuntes of ye styliarde had not been, & dutche shippes restrined.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. clxxijv [She] caused all the Englishemen and their goodes and Shippes to bee restrained.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. i. 11 Nature and conscience (which they would haue restreined and imprisoned).
1612 I. M. tr. Most Famous Hist. Meruine i. xv. 100 He was neither restrained nor imprisoned, but suffered to goe and dispose himselfe round about the towne at his own pleasure.
a1652 I. Jones Most Notable Antiq. called Stone-Heng (1655) 11 They thought it not fit to restrain their Deities within compacted walls.
1708 J. Chamberlayne Magnæ Britanniæ Notitia (1710) i. iii. iv. 194 No Freeman of England ought to be imprison'd, or otherwise restrain'd, without Cause shewn.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield xxviii. 235 I shall soon be free, in spite of all his bolts to restrain me.
1838 Proc. Lincoln Asylum (1847) 30 Number of Patients Restrained or Secluded, and of the Instances and Hours of Restraint or Seclusion.
1876 S. Mossman Mandarin's Daughter iv. 25 I found the horses..in front of the trooper's tents, their movements restrained by ropes round their fetlocks.
1901 Daily News 1 Feb. 7/5 The illegal use..of belts, anklets, and wristlets, in restraining violent lunatics.
1993 E. Bloom & L. Bloom Piozzi Lett. III. 455 Once again the king was restrained in a straightcoat. And again there was talk of a regency bill.
4.
a. transitive. To check, keep back, or control (a natural force or agent). Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (transitive)]
pindeOE
steerc950
hold971
forbidc1000
withstewc1175
withholdc1200
stewa1225
crempa1250
bistintc1300
i-stillc1315
withdraw1340
entemperc1380
rebukec1380
forfenda1382
refraina1382
refrainc1390
restraina1393
restayc1400
retainc1415
to hold abackc1440
overholda1450
reclaim?c1450
revokec1450
bedwynge1480
sniba1500
repressa1525
rein1531
inhibit1535
to keep back1535
cohibit1544
reprimec1550
lithe1552
to rein up1574
check1581
embridle1583
to rein in1593
retrench1594
refrenate1599
to hold back1600
snip1601
becheck1605
sneap1611
trasha1616
supersede1645
reprimand1689
snape1691
to clap a guy on1814
to pull up1861
to pull in1893
withstrain1904
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. 1286 (MED) The water mai the fyr restreigne.
c1405 (c1375) G. Chaucer Monk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 501 He wende he myghte..alle the floodes of the See restrayne.
c1450 J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1934) ii. 440 (MED) What man may the wynde restreyne?
c1480 (a1400) St. Margaret 7 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 47 Vertu It is blud to restrenȝe, & flux of wame refrenȝe.
a1500 in A. Zettersten Middle Eng. Lapidary (1968) 28 (MED) Cornelines..restraynyth moche all blody veynys.
a1596 G. Peele Loue King Dauid & Fair Bethsabe (1599) sig. Hjv Take but your Lute, and..Retriue the sunnes sphere, and restraine the clouds.
a1600 (?c1535) tr. H. Boece Hist. Scotl. (Mar Lodge) f. 586, in Dict. Older Sc. Tongue at Restrenȝe Attempting with dikis to stop the mouth of the watter passing fra the louch quhilk being restrenȝeite be invndacioun and gorging of the watter the castell suld be drownit.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. viii. 2 The windowes of heauen were stopped, and the raine from heauen was restrained . View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Pastorals iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 16 Now dam the Ditches, and the Floods restrain.
1780 B. Franklin Let. 19 May in Papers (1996) XXXII. 398 All well-bred People..forcibly restrain the Efforts of Nature to discharge that Wind.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. I. 227 The necessity of restraining population.
1861 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 30 July 345/2 Much might..be done by planting in pots to restrain growth.
1912 J. W. White Flora of Bristol 645 The great importance of the Marram as a means of restraining drifting sands may be recognized among the sand-hills near Berrow and Brean.
1975 R. Graves Coll. Poems vi. 132 The room lay open to a visiting sea Which no door could restrain.
2004 P. B. Bedient et al. in J. Norwine et al. Water for Texas viii. 120/1 Previous efforts..were..ineffective in their attempts to restrain the floods.
b. transitive. To check, repress, or keep back (a desire, emotion, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > quality of being restricted or limited > restrict or limit [verb (transitive)]
thringc1250
circumscrivec1374
arta1382
bound1393
limita1398
restrainc1405
pincha1450
restringe1525
coarcta1529
circumscribe1529
restrict1535
conclude1548
narrow?1548
limitate1563
stint1567
chamber1568
contract1570
crampern1577
contain1578
finish1587
conscribe1588
pound1589
confine1597
border1608
circumcise1613
constrain1614
coarctate1624
butta1631
prescribe1688
pin1738
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Ellesmere) (1872) §2282 If ye wole werken wikkednesse and youre wif restreyneth thilke wikked purpos..youre wyf oghte..to be preised.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 116 He sendez his oste þider to restreyne þe malice of his enmys.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) xvii. 43 All my vile desires þou restreynde with vertu of luf.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 295 He grauely restreigned and staied the heddie vndiscretenesse of the oratours.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cxxxiiij Yet hathe God hetherto restrayned the force and violence of Sathan.
1638 T. Herbert Some Yeares Trav. (rev. ed.) 91 Ganges..a whiles forbad them, restrayning eithers fury.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 108 Nor Bits nor Bridles can his Rage restrain . View more context for this quotation
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World ii. 110 It would have been impossible for me to have restrained my Curiosity.
1743 W. Pitt in J. Almon Anecd. Life W. Pitt (1792) I. v. 124 The ardour of our British troops was restrained by the cowardice of the Hanoverian.
1838–9 F. A. Kemble Jrnl. Resid. Georgian Plantation (1863) 41 I could hardly restrain my feelings.
1874 J. R. Green Short Hist. Eng. People vii. §6. 400 As Elizabeth passed..from suspicion to terror, she no longer chose to restrain the bigotry around her.
1948 ‘N. Shute’ No Highway x. 257 He with difficulty restrained a crazy impulse to turn and kiss her in the doorway.
1984 J. Frame Angel at my Table (1987) xiv. 102 And although Dad treasured his flowers.., he restrained his anger each time Siggy scratched among the dahlias.
2002 D. Lundy Way of Ship (2003) v. 185 He looked forward down the length of the deck and barely restrained his fear.
5. † c. transitive. To hold back (a person) from something desired. Obsolete.
a. transitive. To withhold or keep back (something) from someone. Also with from, †of. Also intransitive. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)] > withhold or refuse to give
forbar1303
denyc1374
again-holda1382
withdrawc1386
restraina1393
to shut up1526
renounce1617
denegate1623
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from (action) [verb (transitive)]
holdc897
forgoa1000
oversitOE
forbearc1200
letc1330
to let bec1385
to lay apart1526
refrain1528
to let pass1530
retainc1540
abstain1578
restrain1594
stay1599
nurture1627
withhold1650
waive1653
inhold1655
withstand1852
skip1961
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. 1168 (MED) Alle othre thinges sche restreigneth, That a word more sche no tolde.
1433 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. July 1433 §12. m. 17 Þat the tresorer..have power and auctorite..to restreigne of alle maner of assignementz..to the somme of .mm. libras.
1439–40 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1439 §19. m. 13 Yef the saide surplus be not emploied to þe kings houshold..then it be leefull to þe said feffes, to restreyne þe said warantz.
1480 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 59 [I] charge myne executourez that they..kepe and restrayn from hym or them there legatis and byquestis.
a1525 Coventry Leet Bk. 417 The Master of the Trinite Gilde shall restrene of the fee of euery suche meire to þe valowe of all suche mercymentes beyng vnpunnysshed in his fawt.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 69 Bettur hyt ys..to restreyne from the prynce such hye authoryte.
1594 W. West Symbolæogr.: 2nd Pt. ii. Chancerie §144 The rents, issues, and profites therof [they] have wrongfully restreyned, perceyved, and taken to their owne use.
1663 R. Twysden Hist. Vindic. Church Eng. (new ed.) vi. 122 The Parliament..restrained the profits of Rome, as in the payments of Annates, Peter-pence.
a1860 H. Angus Serm. (1861) v. 82 For his [sc. Christ's] completing of that work..may not the Spirit have been restrained from him..to the extent of making him feel as if his former prop had been removed.
1909 J. R. Harris tr. Odes & Psalms Solomon 113 Do not remove thy word from me! Neither for the sake of their works do thou restrain from me thy perfection!
b. transitive. To save or keep free from. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > preservation from injury or destruction > preserve from injury or destruction [verb (transitive)]
werea900
savea1387
preservea1393
restraina1398
recurec1450
withsavea1542
excuse1653
a1398 (a1349) R. Rolle Commandm. of Love (Rawl.) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1895) I. 64 (MED) Restreyne þi wille a while fro al lust and likyng of synne.
c1475 (a1449) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1911) i. 311 (MED) O Welle of swetnesse..That all mankynde preseruyd hast from dethe, And all oure ioy fro langour dydest restreyne At thy Natiuite.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) ix. 23 Fastyng..restreyneth the flesshe from euylle desyres.
a1500 (a1450) Partonope of Blois (BL Add.) (1912) 5549 (MED) Þus shall I my body pyne, Fro myrthe and Ioye my hert restreyne [v.r. resstrayne].
1630 J. Evans Sacrifice Contrite Heart 7 O soules sole cleanser, Sauiour deare, our hearts from sinne restraine.
1662 C. Bonde Salmasius 50 What Puritan, Independent, Anabaptist, Presbyterian, Quaker, &c. Or Red-coat as bad, though not worse than any of them, can restrain his Adamantine heart from grief?
1790 Constantia ii. i, in A. Hughes Moral Drama's 138 Should I restrain my heart from tenderness.
1868 J. M. Cramp Baptist Hist. iii. 73 To relinquish the world, to restrain the flesh from concupiscence.
1974 M. A. Sherif Ghazili's Theory of Virtue (1975) ii. 54 Avicenna regards it [sc. humility] as a subdivision of wisdom which restrains the soul from arrogance.
ΚΠ
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xvi. 2 Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. View more context for this quotation
1715 Gentleman’s Libr. 305 We may..keep up to all the Offices and Commands of Obedience impos'd, yet not be restrain'd from any Pleasures innocent.
1791 E. Inchbald Simple Story I. i. 8 He still restrained him from all authority.
6. intransitive. To refrain or hold back (from something; also with to).
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > restraint or restraining > restrain [verb (intransitive)]
withholdc1200
restraina1425
retract1548
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 4955 Eelde gan ageyn restreyne From sich foly and refreyne And sette men..In good Reule.
1578 R. Robinson tr. Dyall of Dayly Contemplacion sig. N.i Should not man than restraine from all peruersitie?
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. vii. vi. f. 39/2 We muste suffer it to bleede..till it of it selfe restraygneth & stoppeth.
1619 M. Drayton Idea in Poems (rev. ed.) 261 O, Why should Nature niggardly restraine!
1623 P. Massinger Duke of Millaine v. ii. sig. L4 Thrice his desperat hand was on his sword To haue killd 'em both, but he restrayn'd.
1640 Petit. Lond. in J. Rushworth Hist. Coll.: Third Pt. (1692) I. 94 Hence it is that the Prelates here in England..have restrained to pray for the Conversion of our Soveraign Lady the Queen.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. (ed. 2) i. iii. 73 The natural Fear..which restrains from such Crimes, is a Declaration of Nature against them.
1848 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair lx. 541 It was impossible to restrain from laughter.
1866 A. Hort Hena II. ix. 200 He restrained to even reproach her by a look.
1896 D. Bingham Recoll. Paris II. ii. 41 Here were the most disreputable-looking scamps in the midst of boundless riches..and they restrained from pillage.
1913 ‘V. Nikto’ Mere Woman xxxv. 168 Each time I felt his fat red lips..I could not restrain from a nervous shudder.
1990 Times 8 Nov. 25/7 Kevin Hull's film commendably restrained from any commentary.
2007 C. Strube Planet Reese 255 He managed to restrain from ranting at the air conditioner repairman about the need for renewable alternative energies.
7.
a. transitive. To hold tightly; to pull or draw upon (esp. a rein or bridle). Now rare (in later use only in figurative contexts).
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > binding or tying > bind or tie [verb (transitive)] > bind
writheOE
binda1325
fret1401
restrainc1425
band1488
plet1575
strapple?1611
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > condition of being fast bound or firmly fixed > make fast [verb (transitive)] > tighten (bands, cords, knots, nuts)
strainc1300
restrainc1425
strait1557
straiten1647
jam1726
tighten1727
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iv. 3630 (MED) To þe cors sodeynly she sterte, And clappid it in hir armys tweyne, And pitously enbrace it and restreyne, Like as she wolde with hym dye anoon.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) 5817 (MED) His bridel thoo he gan restreyn.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iii. ii. 57 A headstall of sheepes leather, which being restrain'd to keepe him from stumbling, hath been often burst. View more context for this quotation
1763 A. Grey Deb. House of Commons II. 167 If a Coachman can neither restrain his reins, nor slacken them, and be tied to the box, he would drive scurvily.
1828 H. W. Tytler tr. Silius Italicus Punics I. iv. 146 To stand the charge restrain the flowing reins And hold th' impatient coursers on the plains.
1996 M. Comans tr. Totakacarya Extracting Essence of Śruti 58 There are statements in the [Vedic] tradition such as:..‘Restraining the reins of the senses’.
b. transitive. To hold, bind, or secure (something). rare before 19th cent.
ΚΠ
a1475 Bk. Quinte Essence (1889) 7 Þe philosophore seiþ, þat wiyn hath also þe propirtee to restreyne in it þe influence and vertues of gold.
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. ii. iii. f. 10v/1 Those vaynes..which..there doe restrayne that membrane fast vnto the sculle.
1871 J. Moody Sci. of Evil ii. 34 There is a good illustration of human freedom in the flying of the kite... You restrain it with a string and it soars aloft.
1900 J. Haynes tr. M. von Kaisenberg Mem. Baroness de Courtot xxiii. 219 The balloon must inevitably have flown up into the sky had it not been restrained with ropes held by at least a hundred people.
1969 Jane's Freight Containers 1968–9 10/1 The freight container should be restrained horizontally.
1986 A. Limon in A. Limon et al. Home Owner Man. (ed. 2) i. iii. 61 The bottom of the frame is restrained by being screwed to the wall at about 1 m centres.
2006 W. H. Smith Crossbow Hunting i. 3 All that remains are the drilling of a hole and the use of a pin to restrain the string.
c. transitive. Of a seat belt or other safety restraint: to hold (a person or part of the body) in place in a vehicle seat in case of an accident, emergency stop, etc.
ΚΠ
1933 Aviation Engin. June 17/2 In many light planes the pilot is separated from the passenger cockpit by perhaps just a diagonal tube brace... Crash impact can be reduced if the body is restrained from its inertia movement.
1946 Science 29 Nov. 513/2 Studies of controlled aircraft crashes have shown the duration of deceleration of dummies restrained with the restraining harness to vary from 55 to 90 milliseconds.
1976 National Observer (U.S.) 5 June 9/1 The study recommended that children be restrained by a seat belt.
1980 Know about your Car (A.A.) 232/1 All front seats on cars made after June 30 1964 must be equipped with seat belts which restrain the upper part of the body.
1990 Times 9 Feb. 33 Drivers must ensure that children aged under 14 travelling in the rear seat are restrained where seatbelts are available.
1991 Motor Boat & Yachting Jan. 121/1 In addition to safety canopies, the UIM wants to see all multihull crew members seated and restrained by harnesses.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > compulsion > compel [verb (transitive)] > to do something
holdc1275
piltc1275
constraina1340
strength1340
distrainc1374
compelc1380
makec1395
distressa1400
stressa1400
art?1406
putc1450
coerce1475
cohert1475
enforce1509
perforce1509
forcec1540
violent?1551
press1600
necessitate1601
rack1602
restrain1621
reduce1622
oblige1632
necessiate1709
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 2382 (MED) I thanke ȝow..Whom þat ȝe may hooly..To liue or dye, at ȝour lust restreyne.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 253 (MED) Vnnethis his felows myght restren hym to spare it.
a1456 tr. Secreta Secret. (Marmaduke, Ashm. 59) (1977) 221 Do þou þy peyne to with-drawe al þy reaume frome alle thing in-honeste, and þat þou resteine [perh. read restreine] hem offt for to swere.
?1531 J. Frith Disput. Purgatorye i. sig. b8 If thou obiecte þt god were then restreyned and compelled, I answere naye.
1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) 103 The Subjecte is restreyned by præmunire to receive, though the Kinge be not restreyned to gyve.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ix. 185 By antient custome no Vestal Virgin or Flamen of Jupiter was restrained to swear.
1730 W. Bohun Law of Tithes v. 172 It was lawful for every Man to dispose of his Tithes to any Church he pleased, and he was not restrained to pay them to any one Parish or Parson in particular.
1794 T. Wedge Gen. View Agric. Chester 53 The tenant shall be confined to pursue a scheme of husbandry..by which he is restrained to fallow one third part of the tillage.
1870 Galaxy Feb. 203 Living under a ban, which forbids converse on politics and religion, the society of Rome is restrained to be musical, or literary, or artistic.
9. transitive. Photography. To slow (the action of a developer) by the addition of a restrainer (restrainer n. 2a); to inhibit the formation of fog on a negative or film by using a restrainer. Also intransitive.
ΚΠ
1855 Jrnl. Photogr. Soc. 21 Aug. 217/2 The action of pyrogallic acid mixed with acetic acid is so energetic, that there is scarcely time to restrain the development of the image.
1889 Internat. Ann. Anthonys Photogr. Bull. 417 If too long an exposure is found to have been given, restrain with..potassium bromide.
1901 Pharmaceut. Jrnl. 46 (Suppl.) 15/1 Borax restrains this developer better than KBr.
1969 Focal Encycl. Photogr. (rev. ed.) 1286/1 Anti-fogging agents..do not..restrain the activity of the developer to the same extent as potassium bromide.
2000 R. E. Jacobson et al. Man. Photogr. (ed. 9) xvii. 227/2 Organic restrainers are capable of restraining fog without affecting film speed.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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also refers to : re-strainv.2
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n.c1449
v.1a1325see also