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Origin and history of limit

limit(n.)

c. 1400, "boundary, frontier," from Old French limite "a boundary," from Latin limitem (nominative limes) "a boundary, limit, border, embankment between fields," which is probably related to limen "threshold," and possibly from the base of limus "transverse, oblique," which is of uncertain origin. Originally of territory; general sense from early 15c. Colloquial sense of "the very extreme, the greatest degree imaginable" is from 1904.

limit(v.)

late 14c., "set limits to, restrict within limits" (also "prescribe, fix, assign"), from Old French limiter "mark (a boundary), restrict; specify" (14c.), from Latin limitare "to bound, limit, fix," from limes "boundary, limit" (see limit (n.)). From early 15c. as "delimit, appoint or specify a limit." Related: limited; limiting; limitable.

also from late 14c.

Entries linking to limit

limited(adj.)

"circumscribed within definite limits," c. 1600, past-participle adjective from limit (v.). The word was used earlier in a now-obsolete sense "appointed, fixed" (1550s). Limited edition is from 1869; limited monarchy from 1640s; limited war is from 1947. As a noun in railroading, 1878, short for limited express train (1875). In British company names, Limited (abbrev. Ltd.), 1855, is short for limited company, one formed under a law limiting the liability of the members for debts or obligations incurred by the company to a specific amount, usually the amount of their capital investment.

delimit(v.)

"to mark or fix the boundaries of," 1852, from French délimiter (18c.), from Late Latin delimitare "to mark out as a boundary," from de (see de-) + limitare, from limitem, limes "boundary, limit" (see limit (n.)). Related: Delimited; delimiting.

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eliminate
1560s, "to thrust out, remove, throw out of doors," from Latin eliminatus, past participle of eliminare "thrust out of doors, expel," from ex limine "off the threshold," from ex "off, out" (see ex-) + limine, ablative of limen "threshold" (see limit (n.)). Used literally at first
limitation
late 14c., from Old French limitacion "restriction, legal limitation," and directly from Latin limitationem (nominative limitatio), noun of action from past-participle stem of limitare "to bound, limit, fix," from limes "boundary, limit" (see limit (n.)). Phrase statute of limita
lintel
"horizontal piece resting on the jambs of a door or window," early 14c., from Old French lintel "threshold" (13c., Modern French linteau), a word of uncertain origin, probably a variant of lintier, from Vulgar Latin *limitalis "threshold," or a similar unrecorded word, from Latin
define
an end; define, determine with precision," and directly from Medieval Latin diffinire, definire, from Latin definire "to limit..., determine, explain," from de "completely" (see de-) + finire "to bound, limit," from finis "boundary, end" (see finish...From c. 1400 as "determine, declare, or mark the limit of." Related: Defined; defining....
aorist
indefinite," from assimilated form of a- "not" (see a- (3)) + horistos "limited, defined," verbal adjective from horizein "to limit..., define," from horos "boundary, limit, border" (see horizon)....
definite
precise;" 1550s, "having fixed limits," from Latin definitus "defined, bounded, limited," past participle of definire "to limit..., determine, explain," from de "completely" (see de-) + finire "to bound, limit," from finis "boundary, end" (see finish...
definitive
Latin definitivus "explanatory, definitive," in Late Latin "definite," from definit-, past-participle stem of definire "to limit..., determine, explain," from de "completely" (see de-) + finire "to bound, limit," from finis "boundary, end" (see finish...
cap
late Old English cæppe "hood, head-covering, cape," a general Germanic borrowing (compare Old Frisian and Middle Dutch kappe, Old High German chappa) from Late Latin cappa "a cape, hooded cloak" (source of Spanish capa, Old North French cape, French chape), a word of uncertain or
name
"word by which a person or thing is denoted," Old English nama, noma "name, reputation," from Proto-Germanic *naman- (source also of Old Saxon namo, Old Frisian nama, Old High German namo, German Name, Middle Dutch name, Dutch naam, Old Norse nafn, Gothic namo "name"), from PIE r
mane
"growth of long hair on the back of the neck and shoulders," characteristic of the horse, lion, and some other animals, Old English manu "mane of a horse," from Proto-Germanic *mano (source also of Old Norse mön, Old Frisian mana, Middle Dutch mane, Dutch manen, Old High German m

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