limit

[lim-it] /ˈlɪm ɪt/
noun
1.
the final, utmost, or furthest boundary or point as to extent, amount, continuance, procedure, etc.:
the limit of his experience; the limit of vision.
2.
a boundary or bound, as of a country, area, or district.
3.
Mathematics.
  1. a number such that the value of a given function remains arbitrarily close to this number when the independent variable is sufficiently close to a specified point or is sufficiently large. The limit of 1/ x is zero as x approaches infinity; the limit of (x − 1) 2 is zero as x approaches 1.
  2. a number such that the absolute value of the difference between terms of a given sequence and the number approaches zero as the index of the terms increases to infinity.
  3. one of two numbers affixed to the integration symbol for a definite integral, indicating the interval or region over which the integration is taking place and substituted in a primitive, if one exists, to evaluate the integral.
4.
limits, the premises or region enclosed within boundaries:
We found them on school limits after hours.
5.
Games. the maximum sum by which a bet may be raised at any one time.
6.
the limit, Informal. something or someone that exasperates, delights, etc., to an extreme degree:
You have made errors before, but this is the limit.
verb (used with object)
7.
to restrict by or as if by establishing limits (usually followed by to):
Please limit answers to 25 words.
8.
to confine or keep within limits:
to limit expenditures.
9.
Law. to fix or assign definitely or specifically.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English lymyt < Latin līmit- (stem of līmes) boundary, path between fields
Related forms
limitable, adjective
limitableness, noun
overlimit, verb (used with object)
relimit, verb (used with object)
underlimit, noun
underlimit, verb (used with object)
Can be confused
boundary, limit, parameter, variable (see synonym study at boundary; see usage note at parameter)
limit, limitation.
Synonyms
2. confine, frontier, border. 8. restrain, bound.
Examples from the web for limit
  • Switching to solar power is one way to limit the impact your household has on the environment.
  • Human intelligence may be close to its evolutionary limit.
  • Amazon will not limit people to reading the books online.
  • Know before you go: budget and safety tips that won't limit your park experience.
  • Modest gardens can seem bigger if you eliminate clutter, limit materials, and highlight the details.
  • VW says it's similar to traction control but doesn't limit the engine's power output.
  • But that last factor aside, there is no obvious limit to consolidation currently in sight, only supply and demand.
  • Also, know your limit when snorkeling and swimming, as strong waves can be dangerous.
  • The zealous drive by politicians to limit our salt intake has little basis in science.
  • All airplanes, big and small, have a limit to how much of a crosswind they can land in.
British Dictionary definitions for limit

limit

/ˈlɪmɪt/
noun
1.
(sometimes pl) the ultimate extent, degree, or amount of something: the limit of endurance
2.
(often pl) the boundary or edge of a specific area: the city limits
3.
(often pl) the area of premises within specific boundaries
4.
the largest quantity or amount allowed
5.
(maths)
  1. a value to which a function f(x) approaches as closely as desired as the independent variable approaches a specified value (x = a) or approaches infinity
  2. a value to which a sequence an approaches arbitrarily close as n approaches infinity
  3. the limit of a sequence of partial sums of a convergent infinite series: the limit of 1 + ½ + ¼ + ⅛ + … is 2
6.
(maths) one of the two specified values between which a definite integral is evaluated
7.
(informal) the limit, a person or thing that is intolerably exasperating
8.
off limits
  1. out of bounds
  2. forbidden to do or use: smoking was off limits everywhere
9.
within limits, to a certain or limited extent: I approve of it within limits
verb (transitive) -its, -iting, -ited
10.
to restrict or confine, as to area, extent, time, etc
11.
(law) to agree, fix, or assign specifically
Derived Forms
limitable, adjective
limitableness, noun
limitless, adjective
limitlessly, adverb
limitlessness, noun
Word Origin
C14: from Latin līmes boundary
Word Origin and History for limit
n.

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

v.

late 14c., from Old French limiter "mark (a boundary), restrict; specify," from Latin limitare "to bound, limit, fix," from limes "boundary, limit" (see limit (n.)). Related: limited; limiting.

limit in Medicine

limit lim·it (lĭm'ĭt)
n.

  1. The point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed.

  2. A confining or restricting object, agent, or influence.

  3. The greatest or least amount, number, or extent allowed or possible.

v. lim·it·ed, lim·it·ing, lim·its

  1. To confine or restrict within a boundary or bounds.

  2. To fix definitely; to specify.

lim'it·a·ble adj.
limit in Science
limit
  (lĭm'ĭt)   
A number or point for which, from a given set of numbers or points, one can choose an arbitrarily close number or point. For example, for the set of all real numbers greater than zero and less than one, the numbers one and zero are limit points, since one can pick a number from the set arbitrarily close to one or zero (even though one and zero are not themselves in the set). Limits form the basis for calculus, where a number L is defined to be the limit approached by a function f(x) as x approaches a if, for every positive number ε, there exists a number δ such that |f(x)-L| < ε if 0 < |x-a| < δ.
Idioms and Phrases with limit

limit

see: