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ceñir

to tighten

verb seh-NYEER Rare
Body & Health Movement

Origin: From Latin cingere ('to gird').

Also means

to confine, to stick to

Usage Note

Ceñir means to encircle or fit tightly around something (el vestido le ceñía la cintura). Reflexively, ceñirse a means 'to stick to' or 'to confine oneself to' (ceñirse al tema — 'to keep to the point'), which is the most common usage in formal speech and writing. It is an irregular -ir verb with stem vowel change e→i in certain forms (ciño, ciñe).

Examples

"Debes ceñirte al presupuesto establecido."

Natural Translation

You must stick to the established budget.

Literal Translation

You-must confine-yourself to-the budget established.

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