constrain
v.v. to limit or control something so that it does not go beyond certain limits. You use this when you want to say that something is being held back by a rule or a physical space.
v. to restrict or limit the scope, size, or extent of something. Often used in academic contexts to describe the relationship between variables or the effects of physical boundaries.
The narrow hallway constrains the movement of the large furniture.
The budget constraints of the project forced the team to cancel several planned upgrades to the software.
In physics, the laws of thermodynamics constrain the maximum efficiency of any heat engine, regardless of the materials used in its construction.
From Middle English constreinen, from Old French constreindre, from Latin cōnstringō, from cōn- (“with, together”) + stringō (“to draw, bind or tie tight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, to shear, stiff”).