constrict

 
Pronunciation: /kənˈstrɪkt/

verb

[with object]
  • make narrower, especially by encircling pressure: chemicals that constrict the blood vessels (as adjective constricted) constricted air passages
  • [no object] become narrower: he felt his throat constrict
  • (of a snake) coil round (prey) in order to asphyxiate it: boas constrict and suffocate their prey
  • inhibit or restrict: the fear and the reality of crime constrict many people’s lives

Derivatives

constrictive

adjective

Origin:

mid 18th century: from Latin constrict- 'bound tightly together', from the verb constringere (see constrain)