RESTRA'INT, noun 1. The act or operation of holding back or hindering from motion, in any manner; hinderance of the will, or of any action, physical, moral or mental. 2. Abridgment of liberty; as the restraint of a man by imprisonment or by duress. 3. Prohibition. The commands of God should be effectual restraints upon our evil passions. 4. Limitation; restriction. If all were granted, yet it must be maintained, within any bold restraints, far otherwise than it is received. 5. That which restrains, hinders or represses. The laws are restraints upon injustice.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI