▪ I. restraint, n.
(rɪˈstreɪnt)
Also 5–6 restraynt(e, 6 -strainte; 5 restreint(e, -streynt(e.
[a. OF. restrainte fem. (also restraint masc.), verbal n. f. restraindre to restrain.]
1. a. The action of restraining or checking a thing, operation, etc.; an instance of this, a stoppage. without restraint, freely, copiously.
| c 1400 Commandm. Love x. in Stow's Chaucer (1561) 452 b, There let your pitie spred without restreinte. 1470–85 Malory Arthur x. lxxxvi. 567 Thenne syr Tristram..made a restraynte of his anger. 1494 Fabyan Chron. vi. cxc. 193 In conclucyon a restreynt of warre was graunted. 1561 Hollybush Hom. Apoth. 31 b, Somtyme happeneth a restraynt in the small guttes. 1577 B. Googe Heresbach's Husb. iv. (1586) 190 b, The roote and the water thereof..is good against the..restraint of womens Purgations. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 240 The restraint of the money, not to be payed but vpon a testimony brought vnder our hands, was a good caution. 1671 Gumble Life Monk 12 The great reason of God's restraint of his Blessing upon many of these worthy Endeavours. 1791 Mrs. Radcliffe Rom. Forest ii, Her tears flowed silently and fast. That she might indulge them without restraint, she went [etc.]. 1863 H. Cox Instit. i. ii. 279 A bill for the restraint of the Press was brought into the House of Commons. 1878 Abney Photogr. (1881) 68, 1 to 2 drops of this solution suffices to give sufficient restraint. |
† b. A means of retaining, or controlling. Obs.—1
| 1695 Kennett Par. Antiq. Gloss., Sera, a Lock or restraint of water on a river. |
c. Something which restrains or holds in check; esp. head restraint, an attachment to the seat of a motor vehicle to prevent the head from jerking back suddenly.
| 1968 Wall St. Jrnl. 5 Aug. 28/4 American Motors Corp. said it will make head restraints standard equipment on all 1969-model cars. 1972 Times 28 Nov. 5/6 (Advt.), Both front seats recline, have sockets for optional head restraints. 1973 Times 3 July 1/5 Technically, a head rest was purely for comfort, whereas a safety device for protecting the head was termed a head restraint. 1976 Amer. Speech 1973 XLVIII. 207 There, if he should become violent, he is placed in restraints ‘straps’ in his room. 1980 Times 29 Feb. 3 (Advt.), The seats are covered in crushed velour with head restraints at the rear as well as the front. |
2. a. A means of restraining or checking persons from a course of action, or of keeping them under control; any force or influence which has a restraining effect; an instance of restraining or of being restrained.
| 1421–2 Hoccleve Dialog 207 A bettar restreynte know I none fro vice. 1600 E. Blount tr. Conestaggio 259 There was no restraint could hold them. 1625 Bacon Ess., Marriage & Single Life, So sensible of euery restraint, as they will goe neare, to thinke their Girdles, and Garters, to be Bonds and Shackles. 1672 Temple Ess., Gov. Wks. 1720 I. 97 All Government is a Restraint upon Liberty. 1765 Blackstone Comm. I. 144 Where the laws of our country have laid them under necessary restraints. 1784 Cowper Task vi. 49 He could now endure,..And feel a parent's presence no restraint. 1844 Thirlwall Greece lxvi. VIII. 427 The insolence of Charops now began to break through every restraint. 1890 Spectator 11 Jan., Subjected to the strong restraints of officers in a Queen's ship at sea. |
b. Without article. Restraining action or influence, as applied to persons.
moral restraint: see moral a. 10 c.
| 1567 Trial Treas. (1850) 24 So sharpe is this snaffell called restrainte That it maketh me sweate. 1611 Bible Lev. xxiii. 36 It is a solemne assembly [marg. day of restraint]. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 87 Now Through all restraint broke loose he wings his way. Ibid. ix. 1184 Restraint she will not brook. 1729 Butler Serm. Wks. 1874 II. 34 Neither is restraint by any means peculiar to one course of life. 1751 Johnson Rambler No. 151 ¶9 To the happiness of our first years nothing more seems necessary than freedom from restraint. 1820 Shelley Œd. Tyr. i. 74 Moral restraint I see has no effect. 1849 Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 179 Still less restraint was imposed by the government. |
c. The state or condition of being restrained; esp. abridgement of liberty, confinement.
| a 1547 Surrey in Tottel's Misc. (Arb.) 14 Thus I alone..In prison pyne, with bondage and restrainte. 1595 Shakes. John iv. ii. 52 Th' infranchisement of Arthur, whose restraint Doth moue the murmuring lips of discontent [etc.]. 1663 Butler Hudibras i. iii. 1017 'Tis not Restraint or Liberty That makes Men prisoners or free. 1676 Dryden Aurengz. iii. i, Though Int'rest his Restraint has justify'd Can Life and to a Brother be deny'd? 1701 De Foe Trueborn Eng. Misc. v. 21 Restraint from Ill, is Freedom to the Wise. 1766 Fordyce Serm. Yng. Wm. (1767) II. xii. 191 Perpetual restraint is perpetual wretchedness. 1846 Trench Mirac. Introd. (1862) 17 Continually we behold in the world around us lower laws held in restraint by higher. 1857 Ruskin Two Paths v. 244 You will find..that it is his Restraint which is honourable to man, not his Liberty. |
d. spec. (in above senses) with reference to the treatment of refractory prisoners or insane persons.
| 1829 in Proc. Lincoln Asylum (1847) 22 The Governors have particularly directed their views to the subject of Coercion and Restraints. 1840 Ibid. 37 Restraint rapidly weakens and depresses the vital powers of the unhappy victim. 1847 Ibid. 28 note, Patients are frequently brought to this Asylum under distressing restraints. |
| attrib. 1846 State Lincoln Asylum 39 Restraint Rooms, Seclusion Rooms, Padded Rooms [etc.]. 1897 ‘E. L. Prescott’ Scarlet & Steel xxxviii, Restraint jacket. Made of No. 3 sail canvas, doubled and quilted with Dutch twine in squares of about four inches. |
3. † a. A prohibition. Obs.
| 1463 Mann. & Househ. Exp. (Roxb.) 187 Any restraynt or ordenaunce made to the contrary nat wythstandyng. 1482 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 222/2 A restreint was made that certein thyngs of Silkewerk..shuld not be brought into this Reame redy wrought. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 238 b, The seuenth commaundement..& the last of the x, in maner also doubleth the restraynt of thefte. 1594 Plat Jewell-ho. i. 55 To force the sopeboilers (after they had procured a generall restrainte) to growe to composition with them. |
b. An embargo. Usually restraint of princes.
| 1480 Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxlviii. 317 This same yere was a restraynt of the wullys of Caleys made by the Soudyours. 1622 Malynes Anc. Law-Merch. i. xxv. 150 Arrest, Restraints and Detainements of Kings and Princes. 1752 Beawes Lex Mercat. Rediv. 244 Of Embargoes, or Restraint of Princes. 1769 Molloy's De Jure Marit. (ed. 9) II. ii. vii. §7. 50 A Policy against Restraint of Princes, will not extend to Practices against the Laws of Countries. 1848 Arnould Marine Insur. II. iii. i. 788 When the further prosecution of the voyage is rendered hopeless..by blockade,..and the voyage is accordingly wholly abandoned, that is a loss, by restraint of princes, within the policy. |
c. restraint of trade.
| 1890 Statutes at Large U.S.A. XXVI. 209 Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States..is hereby declared to be illegal. 1913 Halsbury's Laws of Engl. XXVII. 532 Under the head of restraint of trade by statute come all those cases in which certain trades have been absolutely forbidden by Parliament. 1933 Sutton & Shannon on Contracts xi. 164 A contract in restraint of trade is not contrary to public policy. 1941 Economist 5 Apr. 437/2 The greater danger lies in the growing influence of what the common law knows (and used to condemn) as ‘agreements in restraint of trade’. 1973 N.Y. Law Jrnl. 31 Aug. 1/5 The two-count indictment charged conspiracy in restraint of trade in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. |
4. Constraint; reserve.
| 1601 Shakes. All's Well v. iii. 213 She knew her distance, and did angle for mee, Madding my eagernesse with her restraint. 1791 Gouv. Morris in Sparks Life & Writ. (1832) I. 357, I find that there is much restraint and etiquette here. 1798 Ferriar Illustr. Sterne, etc. ii. 41 He ventured to break through his restraint. 1819 Shelley Cenci i. i. 60 One thing, I pray you, recollect henceforth, And so we shall converse with less restraint. 1877 ‘Rita’ Vivienne i. ii, We are reconciled again, but there is a restraint between us now. |
† 5. Restriction or limitation. Obs.
| 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. iii. xi. §6 The positive laws which Moses gave, they were given for the greatest part with restraint to the land of Jewry. 1597 Ibid. v. lxxi. §1 This restraint of Easter to a certaine number of dayes. 1656 Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Pol. Touchstone (1674) 281 The Patent of his admission..; with a restraint..that [etc.]. 1746 Wesley Princ. Methodist 33 Before those words which you suppose to imply such a Restraint—were those spoken without any Restraint or Limitation at all. |
▪ II. † reˈstraint, pa. pple. Obs. rare.
[a. F. restreint, † restraint, pa. pple. of restreindre to restrain.]
Restrained, restricted.
| 1444 Rolls of Parlt. V. 115/2 That be this Act the punischement..in no wise be restreint. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) i. i, Y⊇ puyssaunce of god is not restraynt nor bounde. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 112 The nexte day this pyt or well wyll be as full as it was, yf it be not restreynt. 1555 Eden Decades vii. (Arb.) 127 The libertie of free passage was restraynt. |