fetter

[ fet-er ]
See synonyms for: fetterfetteredfetters on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a chain or shackle placed on the feet.

  2. Usually fetters. anything that confines or restrains: Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.

verb (used with object)
  1. to put fetters upon.

  2. to confine; restrain.

Origin of fetter

1
before 900; Middle English, Old English feter; cognate with Old High German fezzera,Old Norse fjǫturr; akin to foot

Other words from fetter

  • fet·ter·er, noun
  • fet·ter·less, adjective

Words Nearby fetter

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How to use fetter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fetter

fetter

/ (ˈfɛtə) /


noun
  1. (often plural) a chain or bond fastened round the ankle; shackle

  2. (usually plural) a check or restraint: in fetters

verb(tr)
  1. to restrict or confine

  2. to bind in fetters

Origin of fetter

1
Old English fetor; related to Old Norse fjöturr fetter, Old High German fezzera, Latin pedica fetter, impedīre to hinder

Derived forms of fetter

  • fetterer, noun
  • fetterless, adjective

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