manacle

[ man-uh-kuhl ]
See synonyms for: manaclemanacledmanaclesmanacling on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a shackle for the hand; handcuff.

  2. Usually manacles. restraints; checks.

verb (used with object),man·a·cled, man·a·cling.
  1. to handcuff; fetter.

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

Origin of manacle

1
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use manacle in a sentence

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

verb(tr)
  1. to put manacles on

  2. to confine or constrain

Origin of manacle

1
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