constraint
n. countablen. something that limits what you can do or how you can act. It is often a rule, a lack of money, or a physical boundary that stops you from being completely free.
n. a limitation or restriction on a person's actions or on a system's performance. In technical contexts, it refers to a condition that a solution must satisfy.
Time is the biggest constraint on this project.
The architect had to work within the constraint of a very narrow building site.
Budgetary constraints often force research teams to prioritise immediate practical applications over long-term theoretical exploration, potentially stifling innovation in the process.
From Middle English constreynt, constreynte, from Old French constreinte, past participle of constreindre (“to constrain”), from Latin cōnstringō (corresponding to the past participle cōnstrictus).
Often used with the preposition 'on' to indicate what is being limited.