[a. F. confinement (16th c. in Littré), f. confiner: see -MENT.]
1. The action of confining, or (more usually) the fact or condition of being confined, shut up, or kept in one place; imprisonment.
(Usually with objective genitive.)
1646. Sir T. Browne, Pseud. Ep., 152. That darkenesse of earth, which was their naturall confinement.
1697. Potter, Antiq. Greece, IV. vi. (1715), 208. And so loose their Souls from their Confinements.
1727. Swift, Gulliver, III. ii. 187. During my confinement for want of cloathes.
1772. Junius Lett., lxviii. 337. The confinement of his body within four walls.
1816. Southey, Poet’s Pilgr., I. 26. As the fierce tiger in confinement lies.
1834. Good, Study Med. (ed. 4), I. 190. It is rather the confinement and the want of usual exercise.
2. Restriction, limitation (to certain conditions).
1678. Littleton, Lat. & Eng. Dict., A confinement, limitatio, restrictio.
1691. Ray, Creation, Pref. (1704), 9. After a short Confinement to one sort of Dish.
1728. R. Morris, Ess. Anc. Archit., 33. To prescribe Rules of Confinement, as to the minuter Proportions.
1789. Bentham, Princ. Legisl., xvii. § 16. Confinement to spare diet.
1846. J. Baxter, Libr. Pract. Agric., 97. Confinement to the same stock, a breeding from animals of the same blood.
† b. A restriction or limit. Obs. rare.
1649. Jer. Taylor, Gt. Exemp., II. vii. 30. The … question … which were the places of the right and the schismaticall temple, the confinements of the whole religion.
† 3. An obligation, a personal tie. Obs.
1654. Earl Orrery, Parthen. (1676), 660. I had nobler confinements than profit to keep me in her Father’s Court. Ibid., 693. A Prince, who by many confinements merited my Service.
4. spec. The being in child-bed; child-birth, delivery, accouchement. (The ordinary term for this in colloq. use: see CONFINE v. 6. The ME. equivalent was Our Lady’s bands, bonds, or bends: see BAND1 1 c, BEND1 1 d, BOND1 1 c.)
1774. Mrs. Delany, Corr., Ser. II. (1862), II. 15. I feel uncomfortable not to be able to come to her when she is under her confinement.
1811. Park, in Medico-Chirurg. Trans., II. 298. Mrs. S. whom I was engaged to attend in her first confinement.
1861. Flor. Nightingale, Nursing, 41. Women who had difficult confinements.
1870. E. Peacock, Ralf Skirl., III. 211. Just recovered from her confinement.
