con|strain
con|strain «kuhn STRAYN», transitive verb.
1. to force;
compel;
oblige: »
The principal was constrained to punish the rude boy.
SYNONYM(S): coerce.
2. to confine;
imprison: »
The wild animal was bound and constrained.
SYNONYM(S): restrict.
3. to restrain;
repress: »
to constrain a cough during a concert.
SYNONYM(S): suppress.
4. to force or produce by straining: »
to constrain a nervous laugh.
SYNONYM(S): strain.
5. Obsolete. to compress;
contract.
SYNONYM(S): constrict.
╂[< Old French
constreindre < Latin
constringere < com- together +
stringere pull tightly]
–con|strain´a|ble, adjective.
Useful english dictionary.
2012.