Restraint
Etymology
From Old French "restreindre," from Latin "restringere" (to bind back, draw tight, confine), from "re-" (back) plus "stringere" (to draw tight, bind) — the same root as "strict," "stringent," and "constrict." The image is of pulling something taut to hold it in check. Restraint is, literally, a binding-back of oneself.
noun · /ri-STRAYNT/
The act or habit of holding oneself back from excess, impulse, or full use of one’s power.
What it names
Use it for the deliberate not-doing — the strength shown in the force you choose not to apply.
Example
The general’s restraint — refusing to escalate when he easily could have — averted the wider war.
Related idea
Temperance is a settled moderation, a habitual balance in appetites; restraint is the more general act of checking a specific impulse or power, including power one has every right to use. The most admired restraint is often the one exercised by the strong.
noun · /ri-STRAYNT/
A device or measure that physically holds something or someone back.
What it names
a thing that physically restrains
Example
The child’s car seat has a five-point restraint.
Related idea
Where the virtue is self-imposed holding back, this is holding back imposed from without; compare temperance.
See also