In mathematics, an inverse limit (also called a projective limit) is a construction that allows one to "glue together" several related objects, the precise gluing process being specified by morphisms between the objects. Inverse limits can be defined in any category, although their existence depends on the category that is considered. They are a special case of the concept of a limit in category theory.
By working in the dual category—that is, by reversing the arrows—an inverse limit becomes a direct limit or inductive limit, and a limit becomes a colimit.