limitation

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act of limiting or the state of being limited.
2. n. A restriction.
3. n. A shortcoming or defect.
4. n. Law A specified period during which, by statute, an action may be brought.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of bounding or circumscribing; the fixing of a limit or restriction.
2. n. The condition of being limited, bounded, or circumscribed; restriction.
3. n. An opposing limit or bound; a fixed or prescribed restriction; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception: as, limitations of thought.
4. n. That to which one is limited; that which is required as a condition.
5. n. In law: The period of time prescribed by law after which an action cannot be brought. Since the investigation of controversies becomes more difficult with the lapse of time, and long delay to sue may imply either that satisfaction has been received or that all claim is abandoned, and as it is vexatious to revive stale claims, the law allows fixed periods, varying with the nature of the grievance, within which, if at all, a claimant must apply to the courts. The statutes fixing these periods are called statutes of limitations. From the limitation prescribed for actions to recover real property, it follows that a practically secure title to land can be acquired by mere adverse possession for a sufficient time.
6. n. In the law of conveyancing, the carving out of an estate less than a fee simple absolute (see fee); the prescribing of an ulterior direction for the devolution of an estate in case the estate of the primary grantee shall fail. If a deed or will gives property to A limiting his estate to his life, and on his death giving the property to B, the gift to B is a limitation, or limitation over. If the property is given to A so long as she remains unmarried, adding that in case she marries the property is to go to B, the added clause is a conditional limitation, or a limitation over dependent on a condition. If a condition only is prescribed without adding a limitation over, the property will, if the condition be valid, revert to the donor or his heirs.
7. n. The particular district in which a limiter or begging friar was allowed to beg for alms.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of limiting or the state of being limited.
2. n. A restriction; a boundary, real or metaphorical, caused by some thing or some circumstance.
3. n. An imperfection or shortcoming which limits somethings use or value.
4. n. A time period after which some legal action may no longer be brought.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of limiting; the state or condition of being limited.
2. n. That which limits; a restriction; a qualification; a restraining condition, defining circumstance, or qualifying conception.
3. n. A certain precinct within which friars were allowed to beg, or exercise their functions; also, the time during which they were permitted to exercise their functions in such a district.
4. n. A limited time within or during which something is to be done.
5. n. A certain period limited by statute after which the claimant shall not enforce his claims by suit.
6. n. A settling of an estate or property by specific rules.
7. n. A restriction of power.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the quality of being limited or restricted
2. n. (law) a time period after which suits cannot be brought
3. n. the greatest amount of something that is possible or allowed
4. n. a principle that limits the extent of something
5. n. an act of limiting or restricting (as by regulation)