Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Restraint \Re*straint"\, n. [OF. restraincte, fr. restrainct, F.
   restreint, p. p. of restraindre, restrendre. See {Restrain}.]
   1. The act or process of restraining, or of holding back or
      hindering from motion or action, in any manner; hindrance
      of the will, or of any action, physical or mental.

            No man was altogether above the restrains of law,
            and no man altogether below its protection.
                                                  --Macaulay.

   2. The state of being restrained.

   3. That which restrains, as a law, a prohibition, or the
      like; limitation; restriction.

            For one restraint, lords of the world besides.
                                                  --Milton.

   Syn: Repression; hindrance; check; stop; curb;?oercion;
        confinement; limitation; restriction.

Source : WordNet®

restraint
     n 1: the of act controlling by restraining someone or something;
          "the unlawful restraint of trade"
     2: discipline in personal and social activities; "he was a
        model of polite restraint"; "she never lost control of
        herself" [syn: {control}] [ant: {unrestraint}]
     3: the state of being physically constrained; "dogs should be
        kept under restraint" [syn: {constraint}]
     4: a rule or condition that limits freedom; "legal restraints";
        "restraints imposed on imports"
     5: lack of ornamentation; "the room was simply decorated with
        great restraint" [syn: {chasteness}, {simplicity}]
     6: a device that retards something's motion; "the car did not
        have proper restraints fitted" [syn: {constraint}]