Etymology From Middle English limit, from Old French limit, from oblique stem of Latin līmes, līmit- (“a cross-path or balk between fields, hence a boundary, boundary line or wall, any path or road, border, limit”). Displaced native Old English ġemǣre. Doublet of limes.
A restriction; a bound beyond which one may not go or proceed.
There are several existing limits to executive power.
Two drinks is my limit tonight.
4 more examples
It is the conductor which communicates to the inhabitants of regions beyond its limit […]1838 March – 1839 October, Charles Dickens, chapter 21, in The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1839, →OCLC:
Ever he would wander, selfcompelled, to the extreme limit of his cometary orbit, beyond the fixed stars and variable suns and telescopic planets, astronomical waifs and strays, to the extreme boundary of space […]1922 February, James Joyce, “[Episode 17]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, […], →OCLC:
No limit / Not none that I can see / No limit / Not one, not one / Not one for you or me / No limit / Well, it can go until eternity, yeah / No limits to our love, girl1978, Breakwater, “No Limit”, in Breakwater:
At the time, there seemed to be no limit to the size of ever-larger private equity deals, with banks falling over each other to arrange financing on generous terms and to invest money from their own private equity arms.2012 March 6, Dan McCrum, Nicole Bullock and Guy Chazan, Financial Times, “Utility buyout loses power in shale gas revolution”
2
Mathematics, Sciences A value to which a sequence converges. Equivalently, the common value of the upper limit and the lower limit of a sequence: if the upper and lower limits are different, then the sequence has no limit (i.e., does not converge).
The sequence of reciprocals has zero as its limit.
3
Mathematics, Sciences Any of several abstractions of this concept of limit.
Category theory defines a very general concept of limit.
4
Category theory, Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences The cone of a diagram through which any other cone of that same diagram can factor uniquely.
The final, utmost, or furthest point; the border or edge.
the limit of a walk, of a town, or of a country
As eager of the chase, the maid / Beyond the forest's verdant limits strayed.1713, [Alexander] Pope, Windsor-Forest. […], London: […] Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC:
1 more example
"Like many other large resorts, the town operated electric tramways, with open-topped cars. The journey down the steep incline to the harbour must have been exhilarating at times, testing the brakes on the vehicles to the limit."2021 September 8, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Electric tramways at the heart of our seaside story”, in RAIL, number 939, page 59:
The archdeacon hath divided it / Into three limits very equally.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:
8
Obsolete That terminates a period of time; hence, the period itself; the full time or extent.
the dateless limit of thy dear exile1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:
The limit of your lives is out.c. 1593 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedy of Richard the Third: […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iii]:
9
Obsolete A restriction; a check or curb; a hindrance.
I prithee, give no limits to my tongue.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii]:
10
Human sciences, Logic, Mathematics, Philosophy, Sciences A determining feature; a distinguishing characteristic.
11
Cycling, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports The first group of riders to depart in a handicap race.
12
Colloquial, As "the limit" A person who is exasperating, intolerable, astounding, etc.
Englehorn looked at his employer in incredulous admiration. ‘You’re the limit,’ he declared.1932, Delos W. Lovelace, King Kong, published 1965, page 63:
13
Entertainment, Lifestyle, MusicAbbreviation, Ellipsis Ellipsis of harmonic limit.
Etymology From Middle English limit, from Old French limit, from oblique stem of Latin līmes, līmit- (“a cross-path or balk between fields, hence a boundary, boundary line or wall, any path or road, border, limit”). Displaced native Old English ġemǣre. Doublet of limes.
Etymology From Middle English limiten, from Old French limiter, from Latin līmitō (“to bound, limit, fix, determine”), from līmes; see noun.
1
To restrict; to circumscribe; not to allow to go beyond a certain bound, to set boundaries.
We need to limit the power of the executive.
I'm limiting myself to two drinks tonight.
2 more examples
[The Chinese government] has jailed environmental activists and is planning to limit the power of judicial oversight by handing a state-approved body a monopoly over bringing environmental lawsuits.2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
Beeching is more disparaging about suburban services beyond the capital, and I think here lies one of the most critical shortcomings in his analysis. By not considering the potential for these cities to grow, both on their own merits and in response to London's limitations, he failed to future-proof these types of service, limiting them in favour of long-distance services.2023 March 8, Gareth Dennis, “The Reshaping of things to come...”, in RAIL, number 978, page 48:
2
Mathematics, Sciences To have a limit in a particular set.
The sequence limits on the point a.
3
Obsolete To beg, or to exercise functions, within a certain limited region.