limited

Definitions

limit + -ed = 'having been bounded.' The everyday sense is straightforward: hemmed in, not extensive (limited time, limited budget). English gave it a second, legal life in company names: a limited (Ltd) company fences off the owners' risk to what they invested — the same boundary image applied to liability.

Why It Means This

The 'Ltd' sense surprises learners. A limited company limits the owners' liability: if the business fails, shareholders lose only the money they put in, not their personal property. So 'Ltd' after a name is a 2,000-year-old boundary word doing legal work — a fence drawn around how much you can lose.

Common Collocations

• 1.limited edition限量版
• 2.limited time限时
• 3.limited budget有限预算
• 4.limited experience有限经验
• 5.limited resources有限资源
• 6.limited liability有限责任

Example Sentences

• 1.

  We have a limited number of tickets, so book early.

• 2.

  His knowledge of French is fairly limited.

• 3.

  This is a limited edition print, signed by the artist.

• 4.

  She works for a small engineering firm called Bryson Limited.

Easily Confused

limited vs restricted — limited describes a small amount/extent (limited supplies = there isn't much). restricted describes deliberate control, often by rule (restricted area = entry is controlled). 'Limited info' = little info; 'restricted info' = info you're not allowed to see.