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Origin and history of constrict

constrict(v.)

1732, "to cause to draw together by external force or influence;" 1759, "to draw together at any point by force or action," a back-formation from constriction, or else from Latin constrictus, past participle of constringere "compress" (see constrain).

A direct borrowing from Latin of the same word which, via French, became constrain. Earlier in the same sense was constringe (c. 1600). Related: Constricted; constricting.

also from 1732

Entries linking to constrict

constrain(v.)

"to exert force, physical or moral, upon, either in urging to action or restraining from it," early 14c., constreyen, from stem of Old French constreindre (Modern French contraindre) "restrain, control," from Latin constringere "to bind together, tie tightly, fetter, shackle, chain," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + stringere "to draw tight" (see strain (v.)). Related: Constrained; constraining.

constriction(n.)

"act of constricting; state of being constricted," c. 1400, constriccioun, from Latin constrictionem (nominative constrictio) "a binding or drawing together," noun of action from past-participle stem of constringere "to bind together, tie tightly, fetter, shackle, chain," from assimilated form of com "with, together" (see con-) + stringere "to draw tight" (see strain (v.)). From 1640s as "that which constricts."

constrictor(n.)

"that which constricts," 1735, originally "a muscle which draws parts together," agent noun in Latin form from constrict. Meaning "a large serpent which envelops and crushes its prey in its coils" is from 1790.

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    narrow
    Middle English narwe, from Old English nearu "of little width, not wide or broad; constricted, limited; petty; causing difficulty, oppressive; strict, severe," from West Germanic *narwaz "narrowness" (source also of Frisian nar, Old Saxon naru, Middle Dutch nare, Dutch naar) whic
    compress
    late 14c., "to press or pack (something) together, force or drive into a smaller compass," from Old French compresser "compress, put under pressure," from Late Latin compressus, past participle of  compressare "to press together," frequentative of comprimere "to squeeze," fr
    squeeze
    c. 1600, "press forcibly" (transitive), perhaps an alteration of quease (Middle English quisen), from Old English cwysan "to squeeze," a word of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare German quetschen "to squeeze"). It perhaps also has been altered by influence of many words
    styptic
    harsh"); from Old French stiptique or directly from Latin stypticus "astringent," from Greek styptikos, from styphein "to constrict...
    press
    c. 1300, presse, "a crowd, throng, company; crowding and jostling of a throng; a massing together," from Old French presse (n.) "a throng, a crush, a crowd; wine or cheese press" (11c.), from Latin pressare (see press (v.1)). Late Old English had press in the sense of "clothes pr
    contract
    late 14c., "to draw into a smaller compass, become smaller, shrink" (intransitive); early 15c. "make an agreement, enter into a contract, agree or establish to undertake mutually," from Old French contracter and directly from Latin contractus, past participle of contrahere "to dr
    gag
    mid-15c., transitive, "to choke, strangle" (someone), possibly imitative and perhaps influenced by Old Norse gag-hals "with head thrown back." The sense of "stop a person's mouth by thrusting something into it" is first attested c. 1500. Intransitive sense of "to retch" is from 1
    fret
    Old English fretan "devour, feed upon, consume," from Proto-Germanic compound *fra-etan "to eat up," from *fra- "completely" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "through") + *etan "to eat" (from PIE root *ed- "to eat"). Cognates include Dutch vreten, Old High German frezzan
    scrag
    1540s, "lean person or animal, a raw-bones;" perhaps from a Scandinavian source (compare Norwegian skragg "a lean person;" dialectal Swedish skraka "a great, dry tree; a long, lean man," skragge "old and torn thing," Danish skrog "hull of a ship; carcass," Icelandic skröggr, a ni
    choke
    c. 1300, transitive, "to stop the breath by preventing air from entering the windpipe;" late 14c., "to make to suffocate, deprive of the power of drawing breath," of persons as well as swallowed objects; a shortening of acheken (c. 1200), from Old English aceocian "to choke, suff

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