Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

ob-stringo, strinxi, strictum, 3, v. a.

  1. I. To bind to or about; to bind, tie, or fasten up (rare): follem obstringit ob gulam, Plaut. Aul. 2, 4, 23: quom ego Amphitruonem collo hinc obstricto traham, id. Am. 3, 2, 72: cervice obstrictā, Juv. 10, 88: tauros aratro, to yoke, Val. Fl. 7, 602.
  2. II. To bind, bind up, close up by binding.
      1. 1. Lit. (rare): laqueo collum, Plaut. Aul. 1, 2, 12.
      2. 2. Transf.
          1. (α) To shut in, confine: ventos, Hor. C. 1, 3, 4: viminibus, Col. 4, 29.
          2. (β) To hold together by: purpurea vestis ingentibus obstricta gemmis, in which precious stones were the fastenings, Flor. 4, 11, 3.
  3. III. Trop., to bind, tie, fetter, hamper; to oblige, lay under obligation (the class. signif. of the word; syn.: obligo, devincio): donis aliquem obstringere, Cic. Clu. 66, 190: civitatem jurejurando, Caes. B. G. 1, 31: legibus, Cic. Inv. 2, 45, 132: foedere, id. Pis. 13, 29: aliquem aere alieno, to bring into debt, id. Fam. 11, 10, 5: jurejurando, to bind by an oath, Tac. A. 1, 14: animam suam, Vulg. Num. 30, 9: quam plurimas civitates suo sibi beneficio habere obstrictas volebat, bound, under obligation, Caes. B. G. 1, 9: Atticum officiis, Cic. Fam. 3, 18, 2: qui se tot sceleribus obstrinxerit, has been guilty of so many crimes, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 3, § 8: se parricidio, to commit, perpetrate, id. Phil. 11, 12, 29: se perjurio, Liv. 26, 48: aliquem conscientiā, to bind by privity, by participation, Tac. H. 4, 55: obstringi conscientiā tanti sceleris, ne, etc., to be hindered by the sense of so great a crime, from, etc., Liv. 4, 17, 5: aliquem societate scelerum, Tac. A. 4, 57: fidem suam alicui, to pledge one’s word, to promise positively, Plin. 7, 1, 1, § 8; Plin. Ep. 4, 13, 11; cf. Just. 2, 15, 14.
    Mid.: qui alienum … sustulit, furti obstringitur, makes himself guilty, becomes guilty, Sabin. ap. Gell. 11, 18, 21: eidem sceleri obstrictus est, Lact. 3, 18, 6.
    Hence, obstrictus, a, um, P. a.; according to III., bound, obliged.
    Comp.: obstrictior Debitor, Paul. Nol. Nat. Felic. 9, 145.
    Hence, obstrictē, adv.; comp.: obstrictius, more stringently, Aug. Civ. Dei, 2, 24.