cramp1
[kramp]
- Often cramps.
- a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.
- a piercing pain in the abdomen.
- an intermittent, painful contraction of structures of a wall containing involuntary muscle, as in biliary colic or in the uterine contractions of menstruation or of labor.
- writer's cramp.
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- to affect with or as if with a cramp.
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Origin of cramp1
1325–75; Middle English crampe < Old French < Germanic; cognate with Middle Dutch crampe, Old Saxon krampo, Old High German krampfo; derivative of adj. meaning narrow, constrained, bent; compare Old High German krampf, Old Norse krappr; akin to crimp1
cramp2
[kramp]
- cramp iron.
- a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.
- anything that confines or restrains.
- a cramped state or part.
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- to fasten or hold with a cramp.
- to confine narrowly; restrict; restrain; hamper.
- to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.
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- cramp one's style, Informal. to prevent one from showing one's best abilities.
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Origin of cramp2
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for cramping
Contemporary Examples
The cramping muscle should be carefully stretched and massaged to relieve pain.
After cramping up, James likely received immediate access to world-class medical attention.
They expected about 15 people, but blamed Friday-night traffic in the sprawling city for cramping the size.
At Bars Nationwide, Conservatives Raise a Glass to Andrew BreitbartBen Jacobs, Laura Isensee
March 2, 2013
Angie is cramping, which she expected, but gushes to me that she loved the nurses.
Historical Examples
You cramped yourself into it, if it were a question of cramping.
Mary GrayKatharine Tynan
But it is at best an unlovely and cramping form of existence.
India and the IndiansEdward F. Elwin
So was the bowing of his head, the cramping of his limbs, and his sense of imprisonment in his pen.
The Combined MazeMay Sinclair
In others the cramping may be the first symptom, the others following it.
An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing ArtB. L. Hill
For the cramping, Cuprum and Veratrum are the remedies to be given alternately.
An Epitome of Homeopathic Healing ArtB. L. Hill
cramp1
- a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by overexertion, heat, or chill
- temporary partial paralysis of a muscle groupwriter's cramp
- (usually plural in the US and Canada) severe abdominal pain
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- (tr) to affect with or as if with a cramp
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French crampe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German krampho
cramp2
- Also called: cramp iron a strip of metal with its ends bent at right angles, used to bind masonry
- a device for holding pieces of wood while they are glued; clamp
- something that confines or restricts
- a confined state or position
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- to secure or hold with a cramp
- to confine, hamper, or restrict
- cramp someone's style informal to prevent a person from using his abilities or acting freely and confidently
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Word Origin
C15: from Middle Dutch crampe cramp, hook, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German khramph bent; see cramp 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for cramping
cramp
n.1
"muscle contraction," late 14c., from Old French crampe, from a Frankish or other Germanic word (cf. Old High German krapmhe "cramp, spasm," related to kramph "bent, crooked"), from a Proto-Germanic root forming many words for "bent, crooked," including, via French, crampon. Writer's cramp is first attested 1842 as the name of a physical affliction of the hand, in reference to translations of German medical papers (Stromeyer); also known as scrivener's palsy.
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cramp
n.2
"metal bar bent at both ends," early 15c., from Middle Dutch crampe or Middle Low German krampe, both from the same Proto-Germanic root that yielded cramp (n.1). Metaphoric sense of "something that confines or hinders" first recorded 1719.
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cramp
v.1
"to contract" (of muscles), early 15c., from cramp (n.1). Related: Cramped; cramping.
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cramp
v.2
c.1400, "to bend or twist," from cramp (n.2). Later "compress forcibly" (1550s), and, figuratively, "to restrict" (1620s). Related: Cramped; cramping.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
cramp
(krămp)- A sudden, involuntary, spasmodic muscular contraction causing severe pain, often occurring in the leg or shoulder as the result of strain or chill.
- A temporary partial paralysis of habitually or excessively used muscles.
- cramps Spasmodic contractions of the uterus, such as those occurring during menstruation or labor, usually causing pain in the abdomen that may radiate to the lower back and thighs.
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- To affect with or experience a cramp or cramps.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.