limitació

Limitació is a feminine noun in Catalan that denotes the act or result of limiting something, or the state of being limited. It is used to describe constraints, boundaries, or caps on quantities, actions, or rights, as well as inherent limits within a system or process.

Etymology: Limitació derives from the verb limitar (to limit) and the suffix -ació, which forms nouns of action. The related noun límit means “limit.” The plural form is limitacions; the adjective forms are limitat (masculine) and limitada (feminine).

Usage and nuance: In Catalan, limitacions often emphasize boundaries or capacities, whereas restricció emphasizes imposed controls. The term appears in legal, administrative, and policy contexts to refer to statutory or procedural constraints, and in technical fields to indicate design limitations, tolerances, or maximum values. In mathematics or modeling, limitacions can denote bounds or constraints on variables or methods.

Examples:

- La limitació de l’espai condiciona el disseny del projecte.

- Les limitacions de la mostra poden afavorir biaixos en els resultats.

Notes: Limitació is commonly contrasted with restricció, which focuses more on the act of prohibiting or restricting actions, while limitació highlights the existence of boundaries or capacities.

See also: límit, límits, limitar, restricció.