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borner

limit, restrict

verb bor-NEH Rare

Origin: from borne 'boundary marker'

Also means

mark with boundary stones

Usage Note

Borner means to set limits or confines; se borner à means 'to limit oneself to' doing something and is the most common use in everyday speech (je me borne à constater — 'I merely note'). The related noun borne (boundary stone, milestone) is also widely used for distance markers on roads.

Examples

"Il se borne à répéter la même question."

Natural Translation

He merely keeps repeating the same question.

Literal Translation

He limits himself to repeating the same question.

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