Nearby Words

cramped

[krampt] Origin

cramped

1[krampt]
adjective
affected with a cramp in a muscle or muscles.

Origin:
1670–80; cramp1 + -ed3

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Cramped is always a great word to know.
So is slumgullion. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
Dictionary.com Unabridged

cramped

2[krampt]
adjective
1.
confined or severely limited in space: cramped closets.
2.
a.
(of handwriting) with characters written small and crowded together.
b.
(of a style of writing) hard to understand; crabbed.

Origin:
1670–80; cramp2 + -ed2

cramped·ness, noun

cramp

1[kramp]
noun
1.
Often, cramps.
a.
a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.
b.
a piercing pain in the abdomen.
c.
an intermittent, painful contraction of structures of a wall containing involuntary muscle, as in biliary colic or in the uterine contractions of menstruation or of labor.
verb (used with object)
3.
to affect with or as if with a cramp.

Origin:
1325–75; Middle English crampe < Old French < Germanic; cognate with Middle Dutch crampe, Old Saxon krampo, Old High German krampfo; derivative of adj. meaning narrow, constrained, bent; compare Old High German krampf, Old Norse krappr; akin to crimp

cramp

2[kramp]
noun
2.
a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.
3.
anything that confines or restrains.
4.
a cramped state or part.
verb (used with object)
5.
to fasten or hold with a cramp.
6.
to confine narrowly; restrict; restrain; hamper.
7.
to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.
adjective
8.
cramped2.
9.
cramp one's style, Informal. to prevent one from showing one's best abilities.

Origin:
1375–1425; late Middle English crampe < Middle Dutch: hook. See cramp1

cramp·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
cramped (kræmpt)
 
adj
1.  closed in; restricted
2.  (esp of handwriting) small and irregular; difficult to read

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

cramp
"muscle contraction," late 14c., from O.Fr. crampe, from a Frankish word (cf. O.H.G. krapmhe "cramp, spasm," related to kramph "bent, crooked"). The same P.Gmc. root yielded M.Du. crampe, M.L.G. krampe, one of which gave Eng. cramp "a metal bar bent at both ends" (c.1500), which yielded a metaphoric
EXPAND
sense (first recorded 1719) of "something that confines or hinders." Writer's cramp is first attested 1853.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

cramp (krāmp)
n.

  1. A sudden, involuntary, spasmodic muscular contraction causing severe pain, often occurring in the leg or shoulder as the result of strain or chill.

  2. A temporary partial paralysis of habitually or excessively used muscles.

  3. cramps Spasmodic contractions of the uterus, such as those occurring during menstruation or labor, usually causing pain in the abdomen that may radiate to the lower back and thighs.

v. cramped, cramp·ing, cramps
To affect with or experience a cramp or cramps.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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