Limited

How to spell limited

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce limited

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does limited mean?

1. adjectiveKept within fixed bounds; restricted in number, extent, or scope.
2. adjectiveDesignating a company whose owners are liable for its debts only up to the amount they invested.

Limited in a sentence

• The offer is valid for a limited time only.

• He registered the firm as a private limited company.

• She had only limited experience with the new software.

• The contract named the supplier as a limited liability partnership.

Where does limited come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin noun limes, with the stem limit-, which meant a boundary line, a border, or the path running along the edge of a field. From it Latin formed the verb limitare, meaning to set a boundary or to fix a border. English took the verb 'limit' from Old French limiter in the late 1300s, and the past-participle adjective 'limited' followed naturally, describing anything kept within fixed bounds. The same Latin root survives in 'limitation' and in the legal abbreviation 'Ltd' for a limited company, where the owners' liability is bounded. The single 't' and single 'm' often trip writers who expect a double consonant; remembering the base 'limit' keeps the spelling honest.

How the word is built

• limit (from Latin limes/limitem: boundary)
• -ed (adjective/past participle suffix)