LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
English → Latin

“limit” in Latin

The English word limit itself goes back to Latin līmus, through līmes.

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

limit s.
finis (boundary as a circumscribing line, τέλος): terminus (stone set up to mark a boundary, τέρμα): limes (ridge, to mark a boundary, ὅρος): (The words are found in this connection and order.) fines et termini; fines et quasi termini (never in the reversed order): confinium (common boundary of two properties, etc.): modus (degree, limit not to be exceeded; figuratively): cancelli (barrier; figuratively, limit not to be exceeded). To place limits, terminare (PROP. and figuratively): limitare (PROP.): terminis or cancellis circumscriliere (figuratively): fines terminare or constituere; to anything, terminos, or modum, ponere alicui rei (PROP. and figuratively). To mark out the limits of anything, finire or (accurately) definire aliquid (PROP. and IMPROP.): to establish, fix, etc., the limits of anything, finem facere alicujus rei or alicui rei; finem imponere alicui rei: to propose to one’s self certain limits, certos fines terminosque sibi constituere: to exceed limits, fines transire (PROP. and figuratively): extra, fines or cancellos egredi; modum excedere (figuratively): to keep within the limits of modesty, fines verecundiae non transire: to keep anybody within limits, coercere, continere, or constringere aliquem: to be confined within limits of one’s own, and those narrow enough, suis finibus, exiguis sane, contineri: to burst through the limits and restraints of shame, repagula pudoris et officia perfringere (Cic.).
limit v.
terminare; terminis (or cancellis) circumscribere, finire, definire; terminis circumscribere et definire; also, simply, circumscribere (as it were, to surround with limits or boundaries): finire, definire, includere finibus (to keep within certain limits): coercere (to keep within bounds, to hold in); circumcidere (to make less, diminish; e.g., sumtus impensam funeri). To limit magistrates, magistratus finire: to limit anything within its bounds, aliquid intra terminos coercere: to be limited to one’s narrow bounds, suis finibus exiguis contineri: to limit a thing within a narrow circle, in exiguum angustumque concludere (e.g., friendship; Cic., Off., 1, 17, 53, Beier): to limit a speaker, oratorem in exiguum gyrum compellere (Cic., De Or., 3, 19, 70); oratorem finire or in angustias compellere (opposed to oratio exsultare potest): to be limited to the duties of a school, *intra muneris scholastici angustias coactum esse: to be limited by shortness of time, temporis angustiis includi: to limit one’s self, certos fines terminosque constituere sibi, extra quos egredi non possis: to limit one’s self to anything, se continere re or in re (of things and persons): to be limited, ceterarum rerum cancellis circumscriptum esse.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for limit?
The usual Latin words for “limit” are fīnis, terminus, līmes; also cōnfīnis, modus, cancelli. 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.