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encumber

 - 4 dictionary results

en⋅cum⋅ber

  [en-kuhm-ber]
Use encumber in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to impede or hinder; hamper; retard: Red tape encumbers all our attempts at action.
2. to block up or fill with what is obstructive or superfluous: a mind encumbered with trivial and useless information.
3. to burden or weigh down: She was encumbered with a suitcase and several packages.
4. to burden with obligations, debt, etc.
Also, incumber.

Origin:
1300–50; ME encombren < AF, MF encombrer, equiv. to en- en- 1 + -combrer, v. deriv. of combre dam, weir < early ML combrus < Gaulish *comberos confluence, bringing together (cf. Quimper, in Brittany < Breton Kemper); see com-, bear 1

Related forms:
en⋅cum⋅ber⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To encumber
en·cum·ber   (ěn-kŭm'bər)   
tr.v.   en·cum·bered, en·cum·ber·ing, en·cum·bers

  1. To put a heavy load on; burden: a hiker who was encumbered with a heavy pack; a life that has always been encumbered with responsibilities.

  2. To hinder or impede the action or performance of: restrictions that encumber police work.

  3. To burden with legal or financial obligations: an estate that is encumbered with debts.


[Middle English encombren, from Old French encombrer, to block up : en-, in; see en-1 + combre, hindrance (from Gaulish *comboros).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

encumber 
c.1330, from O.Fr. encombrer "to block up," from L.L. incombrare, from in- "in" + combrus "barricade, obstacle," probably from L. cumulus "heap."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: en·cum·ber
Variant: also in·cum·ber /in-'k&m-b&r/
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -bered; -ber·ing
: to burden with a claim (as a mortgage or lien) <encumbered the land with a mineral lease>
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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