confine

Etymology

From Middle French confiner, from confins, from Medieval Latin confines, from Latin confinium, from Latin confīnis.

Pronunciation

• (verb) enPR: kənfīnʹ, IPA^(key): /kənˈfaɪn/
• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnfaɪn/
  • (US) enPR: känʹfīn, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnfaɪn/
• Rhymes: -aɪn

Verb

confine (third-person singular simple present confines, present participle confining, simple past and past participle confined)

1. (transitive) To restrict; to keep within bounds; to shut or keep in a limited space or area.
   • Shakespeare

     Now let not nature's hand / Keep the wild flood confined! let order die!

   • Dryden

     He is to confine himself to the compass of numbers and the slavery of rhyme.

2. To have a common boundary; to border; to lie contiguous; to touch; followed by on or with.
   • Milton

     Where your gloomy bounds / Confine with heaven

   • Dryden

     Betwixt heaven and earth and skies there stands a place / Confining on all three.

Noun

confine (plural confines)

1. Limit.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kɔ̃.fin/
• Homophones: confinent, confines

Verb

confine

1. first-person singular present indicative of confiner
2. third-person singular present indicative of confiner
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of confiner
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of confiner
5. second-person singular imperative of confiner

Etymology

From Latin confīnis.

Noun

confine m (plural confini)

1. border, frontier
2. boundary

Adjective

confīne

1. nominative neuter singular of confīnis
2. accusative neuter singular of confīnis
3. vocative neuter singular of confīnis

Verb

confine

1. first-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of confinar
2. third-person singular (ele and ela, also used with você and others) present subjunctive of confinar
3. third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of confinar
4. third-person singular (você) negative imperative of confinar

Verb

confine

1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of confinar.
2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of confinar.
3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of confinar.
4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of confinar.