constraint : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: constraint	by the DICT Development Group
3 results for constraint
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
constraint n the state of being physically constrained; "dogs should be kept under restraint" Synonym(s): constraint, restraint a device that retards something's motion; "the car did not have proper restraints fitted" Synonym(s): restraint, constraint the act of constraining; the threat or use of force to control the thoughts or behavior of others
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Constraint \Constraint"\, n. [OF. constrainte, F. constrainte.] The act of constraining, or the state of being constrained; that which compels to, or restrains from, action; compulsion; restraint; necessity. Long imprisonment and hard constraint. --Spenser. Not by constraint, but by my choice, I came. --Dryden. Syn: Compulsion; violence; necessity; urgency. Usage: {Constraint}, {Compulsion}. Constraint* implies strong binding force; as, the constraint of necessity; the constraint of fear. Compulsion implies the exertion of some urgent impelling force; as, driven by compulsion. The former prevents us from acting agreeably to our wishes; the latter forces us to act contrary to our will. Compulsion is always produced by some active agent; a constraint may be laid upon us by the forms of civil society, or by other outward circumstances. --Crabb.
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]:
constraint A {Boolean} {relation}, often an equality or {ineqality} relation, between the values of one or more mathematical variables (often two). E.g. x>3 is a constraint on x. {constraint satisfaction} attempts to assign values to variables so that all constraints are true. {Usenet} newsgroup: {news:comp.constraints}. {FAQ (http://www.cs.unh.edu/ccc/archive/)}. (2002-06-08)