Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - straiten

 transitive verb  (~ed; ~ing)  Date: circa 1552  1.  a. to make strait or narrow  b. to hem in ; confine  2. archaic to restrict in freedom or scope ; hamper  3. to subject to distress, privation, or deficiency in ~ed circumstances STRAITJACKET  I. noun  also straightjacket  Date: 1814  1. a cover or overgarment of strong material (as canvas) used to bind the body and especially the arms closely in restraining a violent prisoner or patient  2. something that restricts or confines like a ~  II. transitive verb  also straightjacket  Date: 1863 to confine in or as if in a ~