As an adjective, denotes the condition of being constrained by the obligations of a bond or a covenant. In the law of shipping, “bound to” or “bound for” denotes that the vessel spoken of is intended or designed to make a voyage to the place named. As a noun, the term denotes a limit or boundary, or a line inclosing or marking off a tract of land. In the familiar phrase ” metes and bounds ,” the former term properly denotes the measured distances, and the latter the natural or artificial marks which indicate their beginning and ending. A distinction is sometimes taken between “bound” and “boundary,” to the effect that, while the former signifies the limit itself, (and may be an imaginary line,) the latter designates a visible mark which indicates the limit. But no such distinction is commonly observed.
Black’s Law Online Dictionary
