fetter

American  

[fet-er] / ˈfɛt ər /

noun

1. a chain or shackle placed on the feet.

2. Usually fetters. anything that confines or restrains.

   Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put fetters upon.

2. to confine; restrain.

fetter British  

/ ˈfɛtə /

noun

1. (often plural) a chain or bond fastened round the ankle; shackle

2. (usually plural) a check or restraint

   in fetters

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verb

1. to restrict or confine

2. to bind in fetters

Other Word Forms

• fetterer noun
• fetterless adjective

Etymology

Origin of fetter

before 900; Middle English, Old English feter; cognate with Old High German fezzera, Old Norse fjǫturr; akin to foot

Example Sentences

“We seek a new revolution,” he said, “not less important, perhaps, in its consequences than that of 1776—a revolution in letters; a shaking off of the fetters of the mind.”

From The Wall Street Journal

"I just couldn't break away from the fetters."

From Reuters

She meets a ragtag group of compatriots who offer what aid they can as she navigates carnival prisons, fiery foes and the confusing fetters of the human form.

From Salon

Despite efforts from the Valkyries and Odin’s ravens, this Viking action art piece is fettered to the ground by the demands of the studio gods.

From Seattle Times

As he rises and swishes, the designs of an NBA defensive scheme now lay in waste on the hardwood, as useful as broken fetters.

From Washington Post