constrain

Etymology

From Middle English constreinen, from Old French constreindre, from Latin cōnstringō, from cōn- (“with, together”) + stringō (“to draw, bind or tie tight”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, to shear, stiff”).

verb

1. (transitive) To force physically, by strong persuasion or pressuring; to compel; to oblige.
2. (transitive) To keep within close bounds; to confine.
   But it's not just Castlefield Corridor capacity that constrains services. All the junctions on the lines feeding into the corridor are flat, so they create conflict points as trains pass. January 2 2020, Philip Haigh, “Is there relief to congestion along Castlefield Corridor?”, in Rail, page 23
3. (transitive) To reduce a result in response to limited resources.