Restricted

How to spell restricted

10 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce restricted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does restricted mean?

1. adjectiveLimited in extent, access, or availability, often by an official rule or boundary.
2. verbPast tense of restrict: limited or controlled something within set bounds.

Restricted in a sentence

• adjective

  Access to the server room is restricted to authorised staff only.

• verb

  The new policy restricted how many guests each resident could invite.

• adjective

  The document was marked restricted and could not be shared outside the team.

• verb

  A tight budget restricted the scope of the renovation project.

Where does restricted come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb restringere, meaning 'to bind fast' or 'to draw back tightly', formed from re- ('back') and stringere ('to pull tight or bind'). The past participle of that verb was restrictus, the direct ancestor of the modern form. English took it in during the late Middle Ages through Old French, originally with the literal sense of tying or confining something physically, before it broadened to the modern idea of limiting access, freedom, or scope. The very same stringere root gives us 'stringent', 'strict', and even 'stress', all carrying that core notion of tightness and tension. The spelling trap sits in the middle cluster 'str' followed by 'ict', since the unstressed first syllable can tempt writers to drop a letter, but remembering its kinship with 'strict' keeps the spelling secure.

How the word is built

• re- (back, again)
• strict (from Latin stringere: to draw tight, bind)
• -ed (past participle / adjective suffix)