manacle

[man-uh-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR manacle 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.

Nearby words

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

Related formsun·man·a·cled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for manacle

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
My loved and lovely Soul has worn it through the ages: manacle, shackle.
I, Mary MacLane|Mary MacLane
As yet, my hand has not known the manacle, nor my feet the gyves!
The Pirate and The Three Cutters|Frederick Marryat
In the afternoon we were off the Lizard, and stood off shore to clear the Manacle Rocks.
Reminiscences of a Liverpool Shipowner, 1850-1920|Sir William Bower Forwood

She then took the key of the manacle out of her dress, and released me.
The Privateersman|Frederick Marryat
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.")

British Dictionary definitions for manacle

manacle

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

Word Origin and History for manacle

manacle

mid-14c., "a fetter for the hand," from Old French manicle "manacles, handcuffs; bracelet; armor for the hands," from Latin manicula "handle," literally "little hand," diminutive of manicae "long sleeves of a tunic, gloves; armlets, gauntlets; handcuffs, manacles," from manus "hand" (see manual (adj.)). Related: Manacles.

In every cry of every man,
In every infant's cry of fear,
In every voice, in every ban,
The mind-forged manacles I hear

[Blake, "Songs of Experience"]

manacle

c.1300, "to fetter with manacles," from manacle (n.). Related: Manacled; manacling.

manacle

noun

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

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of manacle

Examples from the Web for manacle

manacle

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for manacle

manacle

manacle