BOUND


Meaning of BOUND in English

I. ˈbau̇nd adjective

Etymology: alteration of boun, from Middle English, from Old Norse būinn, past participle of būa to live, dwell, make ready — more at bower

1. archaic : prepared , ready , dressed

2. : intending to go : on the way toward : going — used with to or for or with an adverb of motion

a ship bound for Gibraltar

homeward bound

II. noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle English bounde, bunne, from Old French bodne, bonne, borne, from Medieval Latin bodina

1.

a. : the external or limiting line of an object, space, or area

the bounds of a forest reserve

set bounds on a property

— usually used in plural

b. : something that limits or restrains : limit

beyond the bounds of reason

set a lower bound to a temperature range

specifically : limits beyond which military personnel are forbidden to go

out of bounds

2. usually plural

a. : borderland

b. : the land within certain bounds : domain

woodland bounds — William Wordsworth

3. : a number greater than or equal to every number in a set (as the values of a function over an interval) ; also : a number less than or equal to every number in a set

III. verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle English bounden, from bounde

transitive verb

1. : to set limits or bounds to : establish the bounds of : confine within limits

fields bounded by tall hedges

art … is always greater than the rules with which we may attempt to bound it — C.S.Kilby

2. : to form the limits of or lie along the borders of

the sea bounds it on three sides

: circumscribe , enclose

the stream that bounds this land

3. : to name the boundaries of

the class was asked to bound their country

intransitive verb

archaic : to form a common boundary — often used with with

IV. adjective

Etymology: Middle English bounden, from past participle of binden to bind — more at bind

1.

a. : fastened by or as if by a band : confined

desk- bound

b. : compelled or constrained especially by logical necessity : certain , sure — used postpositively

such a plan is bound to fail

we are bound to have a frost soon

2. : under legal or moral restraint or obligation : obliged — usually used postpositively

bound to pay his wife's debts

bound by sacred vows

honor- bound

duty- bound

specifically : apprenticed

a bound girl

3. : constipated, costive — used postpositively

4. of a book

a. : secured to its covers by cords or tapes

a bound volume

b. : cased in

5.

a. : resolved

bound and determined to have his way

b. : assured — often used as if spoken under oath

you're a … first-rate seaman, I'll be bound — W.S.Gilbert

6. : held in chemical or physical combination : combined

some vitamins occur in bound forms

— opposed to free

7. of a linguistic form : always occurring in combination with another linguistic form (as splend- in splendor and splendid, un- in unknown, -s in hats, -er in speaker )

a bound form

a bound allomorph

— opposed to free

V. transitive verb

South & Midland : bet , wager — used chiefly in assertions and affirmations

I bound you he'll like it

VI. noun

( -s )

Etymology: Middle French bond, from bondir

1. : a leap or spring usually made easily and lightly

cleared the hedge at a bound

: one of a continuous series of such springs

2. : bounce , rebound

3. : one of a series of relatively short movements by a military unit or by elements of it alternately from one preselected point on the ground to the next

Synonyms: see jump

VII. intransitive verb

( -ed/-ing/-s )

Etymology: Middle French bondir to leap, bound, resound, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin bombitire to hum, irregular from Latin bombus deep hollow sound — more at bomb

1. : to move with a spring or leap or with a succession of springs or leaps

2. : rebound

an elastic ball bounds

: bounce

Synonyms: see jump

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.