[a. F. confiner in same senses (15th c. in Littré), ad. It. confinare to border upon, bound, limit, set limits to, banish, limit and confine to a place; f. confino, confine bordering, bounding:—L. confīn-is bordering: see CONFINE sb. (Cf. Pr. and Sp. confinar, med.L. confinare.)]
1. intr. To have a common boundary or frontier with; to border on, be adjacent to. (Said of regions or countries, and of their inhabitants. Now rare.
1523. St. Papers Hen. VIII., VI. 119. His Countie of Ferrato, whiche dothe confyne in some partes with the Swices.
1577. Eden & Willes, Hist. Trav., 264 b. The princes which confine uppon that sea.
1580. North, Plutarch (1676), 10. The countries which confine there together.
1659. T. Philipott, Villare Cant., 136. The Woods … confining to Shooter’s Hill.
1694. R. Molesworth, Acc. Denmark (ed. 3), 182. The Duke of Holstein … mentioned last of those Princes that confine with Denmark.
1700. Dryden, Fables, Ovid’s Met., xii. 58. Betwixt Heav’n, Earth, and Skies, there stands a place Confining on all three.
1840. Blackw. Mag., XLVIII. 392. The frontier line of the Persian empire ‘marched’ or confined with the Grecian.
fig. 1647. Fuller, Good Th. in W. T. (1841), 151. This active plant, with visible motion, doth border and confine on sensible creatures.
1784. Dangerous Connections, I. vii. Abuse or evil always unhappily confining too nearly on good.
1880. Seeley, in Macm. Mag., Nov., 43. The periods in which the domain of history confines with that of politics.
† 2. trans. To border on, bound. Obs.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 119. [Cappadocia] passeth by … All those nations in Asia before-named, confining many others.
1607. Norden, Surveyors Dial., 19. Kent … and other Shires confining the Sea.
1694. R. Molesworth, Acc. Denmark (ed. 3), 6. A State which is confined by many Principalities is weak, exposed to many dangers.
† b. To separate as a boundary. Obs.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 54. The mountaines Pyrenæi do confine Spaine and France one from the other.
† 3. To relegate to certain limits; to banish.
1577–87. Holinshed, Scot. Chron. (1806), II. 27. Confining them for ever out of all the parts of his dominions.
1611. Shaks., Wint. T., II. i. 194. So haue we thought it good From our free person, she should be confinde.
1624. Heywood, Gunaik., IV. 207. Alcippus intended to abrogate … their lawes, for which he was confind from Sparta. Ibid. (1637), Royal King, K ij. Life … which as your gift I’le Keepe, till Heaven and Nature Confine it hence.
1653. Holcroft, Procopius, I. 5. Shee … confined them single, and far asunder, to the remotest parts of Italy.
4. To shut up, imprison, immure, put or keep in detention. Const. in (formerly, transitional from 3, † into).
1601. Shaks., Ham., I. v. 11. Doom’d for a certaine terme to walke the night; And for the day confin’d to fast in Fiers. Ibid. (1610), Temp., I. ii. 274. She did confine thee … Into a clouen Pyne. Ibid., 361. Therefore wast thou Deseruedly confin’d into this Rocke.
1620. Horæ Subseciuæ, 293. Hee confined his onely Grand-sonne Agrippa Posthumus into the Iland Planasia.
1697. Dryden, Virg. Georg., IV. 164. Confine the Tyrant.
1795. Gentl. Mag., LXI. I. 247. Boats were plying in the principal streets to relieve families that were confined in their upper apartments.
1836. Marryat, 3 Cutters, iv. The three English Seamen were … confined below.
1836–9. Dickens, Sk. Boz, Visit to Newgate. In one of which … prisoners of the more respectable class are confined.
b. To enclose or retain within limits; to fasten, secure, keep in place.
1595. Shaks., John, V. vii. 47. Within me is a hell, and there the poyson Is, as a fiend, confin’d to tyrannize. Ibid. (1597), 2 Hen. IV., I. i. 154. Now let not Natures hand Keepe the wilde Flood confin’d.
1616. Chapman, Homer’s Hymns, To Venus. All the belluine, That or the earth feeds or the seas confine.
1748. Smollett, Rod. Random, xx. His body was so sore & swelled, that he could not bear to be confined in his wearing apparel.
1793. Smeaton, Edystone L., § 51. Iron stanchions … let into the rock by way of confining the kant in its place.
1853. Reade, Chr. Johnstone, 27. They had cotton jackets … contined at the waist by the apron-strings.
1872. E. Peacock, Mabel Heron, I. x. 174. To confine its waters within high banks.
5. To keep or restrain (a person) within his dwelling, etc.; to oblige to stay indoors, or in one’s room or bed. Said of ill health, stress of weather, etc.; usually in passive. Const to.
1634. W. Tirwhyt, trans. Balzac’s Lett., 396. Were I not confined to my bed.
1688. S. Penton, Guardian’s Instruct., 2. I am confin’d by a great uneasiness contracted by a Cold.
1708. Swift, Death Partridge. He grew ill, was confined first to his chamber, and in a few hours after to his bed.
1722. De Foe, Plague, 79. Though I confined my family I could not stay within entirely myself.
1734. Berkeley, Lett., 19 Feb. Wks. IV. 214. I have been confined three weeks by gout.
1870. E. Peacock, Ralf Skirl., II. 137. A rainy day confined him to the house.
6. To be confined: to be in childbed; to be brought to bed; to be delivered of (a child). Cf. CONFINEMENT 4.
1772. Mrs. Delany, Corr., Ser. II. I. 467. I believe Lady Weymouth will be confined in the month of Decr.
1860. J. Wolff, Trav. & Adv., I. xii. 396. Here was Lady Georgiana Wolff confined of her first child.
7. fig. To keep within bounds, limit, restrict.
1597. Hooker, Eccl. Pol., V. xlii. Those extraordinary gifts … made it the harder to hold them confined within private bounds.
1605. Shaks., Macb., III. iv. 24. Now I am cabin’d, crib’d, confin’d, bound in, To sawcy doubts, and feares.
1662. Stillingfl., Orig. Sacr., II. vii. § 12. Was God’s Worship to be confined to his Temple at Jerusalem.
1754–62. Hume, Hist. Eng., I. xv. 385. On any condition which should confine him in the punishment of these offenders.
1762. J. Brown, Poetry & Mus., v. (1763), 67. When the Melody was most confined in its Compass.
1771. Goldsm., Hist. Eng., I. 62. All the learning of the times was confined among the clergy.
1834. Medwin, Angler in Wales, I. 62. [We] pursued our sport, principally confined to the taking of samlets.
1885. Clodd, Myths & Dr., I. v. 91. Traditions … not confined to the Old world.
b. To confine oneself to: to restrict one’s action, attention, etc., to; to keep to.
1649. Bp. Hall, Cases Consc., III. iv. 257. As a man … apt to be mis-carried by his appetite, confines himself by his vow to one dish.
1677. Temple, Cure of Gout, Misc. (1697), 216. I concluded to trust to Abstinence and Exercise, as I had ever resolved, if I fell into this Disease [the Gout]; and if it continued, to confine my self wholly to the Milk-diet.
1747. Wesley, Prim. Physic (1762), p. v. If they do not confine themselves altogether to eat either ‘Bread or the Herb of the Field.’
1754. Sherlock, Disc. (1759), I. viii. 229. I shall confine myself to St. Paul.
1848. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., I. 462. Churchill was … directed to confine himself to thanks for what was past.
† c. intr. for refl. Obs.
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., IV. v. 187. Children … permitted the freedome of both [hands], do oft times confine unto the left. Ibid. (1672), Lett. Friend, xxiv. (1881), 143. To separate from … received and customary felicities, and to confine unto the rigor of realities.
† 8. To bind to, restrain from (an action). Obs.
1654. Earl Orrery, Parthen. (1676), 12. Having first confin’d him to an inviolable secresie.
1689. Shadwell, Bury F., V. 211. I have confined you from flying.
1742. Lond. & Country Brewer, I. (ed. 4), 8. The Maker … is hereby confined not to change his Malt.
9. To restrain (the bowels) from acting, constipate; = BIND v. 4.
1870. T. Holmes, Syst. Surg. (ed. 2), IV. 831. The patient … should have a dose … in order that the bowels may be confined.
