Limit and limitation

Question

In my opinion, limit means boundary*within the city limits
point or line beyond which sth does not extend; *He tried my patience to its limits.
greatest amount allowed or possible'* * There's a limit to how much I'm prepared to spend.
limitation means (1)the actions of limiting*resist any limitation of their powers
************(2)[C] condition, fact or circumstance that limits* impose limitations on imports, expenditure, reporting

i don't know how to differentiate the usage between the seond meaning of limitation and the usage of limit. Could anybody tell me how to differentiate them?

Beside that, Could anybody tell me why the word "limit" in the sentence "within the city limits"can be pluralized.

Lucus Ong · Accepted Answer

please

Mr Wordy · Answer

Vctory Ongi don't know how to differentiate the usage between the seond meaning of limitation and the usage of limit. Could anybody tell me how to differentiate them?

There is some overlap in meaning, and sometimes either word will do. This is a case in point; the following effectively mean the same thing:

"impose limits on imports, expenditure, reporting"

"impose limitations on imports, expenditure, reporting"

"limitation" has another shade of meaning that you haven't mentioned -- that of a deficiency or shortcoming: "He's quite a good football player, but he has limitations".

Vctory Ong
Beside that, Could anybody tell me why the word "limit" in the sentence "within the city limits"can be pluralized.

When you're talking about the boundary of a region, you can consider the whole boundary to be a single limit, or you can consider it to consist of a number of limits, depending on the direction in which you travel. Reflecting the latter interpretation, it so happens that the idiomatic expression is "city limits".

Limit and limitation

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