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View synonyms for trammel

trammel

[tram-uhl]

noun

  1. Usually trammels a hindrance or impediment to free action; restraint.

    the trammels of custom.

    Synonyms: inhibition, hobble, curb, drag
  2. an instrument for drawing ellipses.

  3. Also called trama device used to align or adjust parts of a machine.

  4. trammel net.

  5. a fowling net.

  6. a contrivance hung in a fireplace to support pots or kettles over the fire.

  7. a fetter or shackle, especially one used in training a horse to amble.



verb (used with object)

trammeled, trammeling , trammelled, trammelling .
  1. to involve or hold in trammels; restrain.

  2. to catch or entangle in or as in a net.

trammel

/ ˈtræməl /

noun

  1. (often plural) a hindrance to free action or movement

  2. Also called: trammel neta fishing net in three sections, the two outer nets having a large mesh and the middle one a fine mesh

  3. rare,  a fowling net

  4. a fetter or shackle, esp one used in teaching a horse to amble

  5. a device for drawing ellipses consisting of a flat sheet of metal, plastic, or wood having a cruciform slot in which run two pegs attached to a beam. The free end of the beam describes an ellipse

  6. (sometimes plural) another name for beam compass

  7. Also called: trama gauge for setting up machines correctly

  8. a device set in a fireplace to support cooking pots

“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

verb

  1. to hinder or restrain

  2. to catch or ensnare

  3. to produce an accurate setting of (a machine adjustment), as with a trammel

“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
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Other Word Forms

  • trammeller noun
  • trammeler noun
  • untrammeled adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trammel1

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tramayle, from Middle French tramail, variant of tremail “three-mesh net,” from Late Latin trēmaculum, equivalent to Latin trē(s) “three” + macula “mesh”; three
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Word History and Origins

Origin of trammel1

C14: from Old French tramail three-mesh net, from Late Latin trēmaculum , from Latin trēs three + macula hole, mesh in a net
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In addition to being noisy, the superwide rubber can trammel a bit over patched and imperfect highway surfaces.

When he brings his cattle to eat the alfalfa, they will spread their waste across the fields and trammel old vegetation into the earth.

Read more on Seattle Times

The Supreme Court has not confronted questions about whether the law’s wording or application trammels First Amendment rights.

Read more on New York Times

Critics worry that some countries are behaving opportunistically, using the coronavirus outbreak to justify such legislation rather than looking for other ways to address misinformation without trammeling free speech.

Read more on Washington Post

That is just one possibility, but my taste-buds are tickled by the wider, less trammelled paths this story could take.

Read more on The Guardian

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