What is the Latin word for confine?

The usual Latin words for “confine” are fīnitimus, cōnfīnis, propinquus; also vīcīnus, adiaceō, tangō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“confine” in Latin

fīnitimusbordering upon, adjoining, adjacent, neighbouring; close, near; concerning or originating from neighbouring people; men cōnfīnisbordering on, adjoining, contiguous propinquusnear, nearby, neighboring; near, at hand, not far off; resembling, similar, like, alike vīcīnusnear, neighboring; like, similar, kindred adiaceōto lie beside, at, near or next to; be adjacent to, be continuous to, border upon (with dative or ad); to adjoin tangōto touch, grasp; to reach, arrive at, come to a place; to attain to attingōto come in contact with, touch; to assault; strike, attack; to touch, taste fīniōto finish, terminate; to set, appoint; to limit, bound dēfīniōto bound, set bounds to; to limit; to define, explain, designate by limiting; to terminate, finish terminōto mark off (by boundaries), set bounds to; bound, limit; to define, fix, determine, circumscribe; to close, finish, end

The English word confine itself goes back to Latin cōnfīnis, through confines.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

confine adj.

finitimus. confinis (having a common border or confines): propinquus (general term, near, all with dative): conjunctus alicui loco: continens alicui loco or cum aliquo loco (to be adjacent).

confine

INTR., to border upon; finitimum, vicinum, confinem alicui esse (especially of nations who dwell on the confines): adjacere, imminere alicui terrae; tangere, attingere, contingere terram (especially of lands that border upon one another).

confine

TR. to limit by boundaries, finire: definire (to mark the limits or boundaries): terminare: determinare: terminationibus finire (to determine the limits beyond which one ought not to pass; not to transgress): includere (to shut in or enclose; e.g., of one district inclosing another, and so forming its boundaries): cancellis circumscribere (IMPROP., to confine): to be confined by, finiri aliqua re (to be bordered; e.g., by a promontory): attingi, contingi aliqua, re (to be bordered by, or to be contiguous; e.g., of a land): contineri aliqua, re (to be surrounded; e.g., by a river): impediri aliqua re (to be obstructed by anything; e.g., the view by a mountain).

To imprison, to lock up, aliquem in custodiam includere: includere: concludere: in custodiam (or in vincula) mittere, tradere, condere, conjicere; in custodiam (or in carcerem) dare, includere; custodiae or vinculis mandare; in carcerem conjicere, detrudere; in ergastulum mittere: to confine for life, vinculis aeternis mandare: to be confined in prison, in custodia esse or servari; custodia teneri; in carcere or in vinculis esse.

To restrain, terminis or cancellis circumscribere: finire: definire: terminis circumscribere et definire: also circumscribere only (to surround with boundaries, as it were): finire: definire (to keep between certain boundaries): coercere (to keep within proper limits, to curb or bridle): to confine a thing within its proper limits, aliquid intra terminos coercere: to confine one’s empire within its ancient limits, antiquis terminis regnum finire: to be confined within their own narrow limits, suis finibus exiguis contineri: to confine a thing within a narrow sphere, in exiguum angustumque concludere (e.g., friendship, Cic., Off., 1, 17, 53, Beier): to confine the view, definire aspectum (Cic.): to confine the orator within narrow limits, oratorem in exiguum gyrum compellere (Cic., De Or., 3, 19, 70): to confine one’s speech, orationem finire or in angustias compellere (opposed to oratio exsultare potest): to be confined for time, temporis angustiis includi: to confine one’s self, certos fines terminosque constituere sibi, extra quos egredi non possis: to confine one’s self to anything, se continere re or in re (of things and persons): to be confined, certarum rerum cancellis circumscriptum esse. [Vid: RESTRAIN.] To be confined to one’s bed, lecto detineri or teneri: lecto affixum esse, e lecto surgere nequeo (from illness) :

To be confined (i. e., in child-bed), puerperio cubare.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for confine?: The usual Latin words for “confine” are fīnitimus, cōnfīnis, propinquus; also vīcīnus, adiaceō, tangō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.