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fetter

[ fet-er ]
/ ˈfɛt ər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR fetter ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a chain or shackle placed on the feet.
Usually fetters. anything that confines or restrains: Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.

verb (used with object)

to put fetters upon.
to confine; restrain.

Words related to fetter

hinder, hog-tie, clog, chain, encumber, repress, bind, manacle, leash, check, restrict, trammel, shackle, handcuff, cuff, hobble, restrain, curb, confine, hamper

Words nearby fetter

fetor ex ore, fetor hepaticus, fetoscope, fetoscopy, fetotoxicity, fetter, fetter bone, fetterbush, fetterlock, fettle, fettler

Origin of fetter

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

OTHER WORDS FROM fetter

fet·ter·er, nounfet·ter·less, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for fettered

British Dictionary definitions for fettered

fetter
/ (ˈfɛtə) /

noun

(often plural) a chain or bond fastened round the ankle; shackle
(usually plural) a check or restraintin fetters

verb (tr)

to restrict or confine
to bind in fetters

Derived forms of fetter

fetterer, nounfetterless, adjective

Word Origin for fetter

Old English fetor; related to Old Norse fjöturr fetter, Old High German fezzera, Latin pedica fetter, impedīre to hinder
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