'astrict' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'adstringere' (and its past participle 'adstrictus'), where 'ad-' meant 'toward' and 'stringere' meant 'to bind or draw tight'.

'astrict' changed from Latin 'adstringere' → Medieval/Old French forms (e.g. 'astringre') → Middle English variants (e.g. 'astricten'), and eventually appeared in English as 'astrict' with the past form 'astricted'.

Initially it meant 'to bind or make tight' in Latin and early English usage; over time the verb became rare and the adjective/past participle sense survives mainly in archaic or literary contexts as 'constricted' or 'restrained'.