enchain

[ en-cheyn ]
See synonyms for enchain on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object)
  1. to bind in or as in chain or chains; fetter; restrain: to be enchained by ignorance and superstition.

  2. to hold fast, as the attention.

Origin of enchain

1
1350–1400; Middle English <Anglo-French, Old French enchainer, enchaener.See en-1, chain

Other words from enchain

  • en·chain·ment, noun

Words Nearby enchain

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

How to use enchain in a sentence

  • Pleasure they regarded as an evil, having a tendency to enchain man to earthly enjoyments, a peculiarly Buddhist tenet.

  • This houri of Sa'adi would not pause to note the difference in writing; the vitalness of the subject would enchain her thoughts.

    The Adventures of Kathlyn | Harold MacGrath
  • Utter weakness gripped his body; but more than this seemed to enchain him.

    Cursed | George Allan England
  • Few writers of the day have the power of Mr. Marshall to enchain interest and yet to disregard conventional devices.

    Psyche | Louis Couperus
  • Told with a vim and vividness and with a keen and caustic humour which charm and enchain you throughout.

    Paths of Judgement | Anne Douglas Sedgwick

British Dictionary definitions for enchain

enchain

/ (ɪnˈtʃeɪn) /


verb(tr)
  1. to bind with chains

  2. to hold fast or captivate (the attention, etc)

Derived forms of enchain

  • enchainment, noun

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