manacle

[ man-uh-kuhl ]

/ ˈmæn ə kəl /

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See synonyms for: manacle / manacled / manacles / manacling on Thesaurus.com

noun

a shackle for the hand; handcuff.

Usually manacles. restraints; checks.

verb (used with object), man·a·cled, man·a·cling.

to handcuff; fetter.

to hamper; restrain: He was manacled by his inhibitions.

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Origin of manacle

1275–1325; Middle English, variant of manicle<Middle French: handcuff <Latin manicula small hand, handle of a plow. See manus, -i-, -cle¹

OTHER WORDS FROM manacle

un·man·a·cled, adjective

Words nearby manacle

Mamurius, mamzer, man, mana, man about town, manacle, manada, Manado, manage, manageable, managed bonds

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use manacle in a sentence

Yet Romney happily slid his leg into this manacle, slammed down the padlock, and threw the key into the river.
Michael Tomasky: Obama’s High-Stakes Gamble on Gay Marriage|Michael Tomasky|May 10, 2012|DAILY BEAST
So Craddock lay back again with a groan, and continued to work at the manacle which still held his right wrist.
The Dealings of Captain Sharkey|A. Conan Doyle
It was too dear, and silly and pathetic in Christina, but it seemed to manacle her.
The Nest, The White Pagoda, The Suicide, A Forsaken Temple, Miss Jones and The Masterpiece|Anne Douglas Sedgwick
But should she clench her dimpled fists,Or contradict her betters, I'd manacle her tiny wristsWith dainty jewelled fetters.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

He went to the door, opened it, and stood studying the gale that beat upon his cottage-front, straight from the Manacle Reef.
The Roll-Call Of The Reef|A. T. Quiller-Couch (AKA "Q.")
I, with my handful of broken life, to let you manacle your splendid years to a lump of stone?
August First|Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews and Roy Irving Murray

British Dictionary definitions for manacle

manacle

/ (ˈmænəkəl) /

noun

(usually plural) a shackle, handcuff, or fetter, used to secure the hands of a prisoner, convict, etc

verb (tr)

to put manacles on

to confine or constrain

Word Origin for manacle

C14: via Old French from Latin manicula, diminutive of manus hand

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

manacle

Origin of manacle

OTHER WORDS FROM manacle

Words nearby manacle

Words related to manacle

How to use manacle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for manacle

Word Origin for manacle