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unencumbered

 - 6 dictionary results

en⋅cum⋅ber

  [en-kuhm-ber]
–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.
Use unencumbered in a Sentence
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. 2010.
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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."

unencumbered 
1722, from un- (1) "not" + pp. of encumber.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Financial Dictionary

Unencumbered

Property that is not subject to any creditor claims or liens.

Investopedia Commentary

For example, if a house is owned free and clear (meaning the owner owes no mortgage to anyone), it is unencumbered. Also, if a person were to buy stocks with cash rather than on margin, it is unencumbered.

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See also: Credit, Interest, Lien, Line of Credit, Margin, Mortgage, Open End Credit

Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.
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unencumbered

Of or relating to an owned asset that does not have a claim against it. Real estate not being used as collateral for a loan and on which all taxes are current is unencumbered. Compare encumbrance 1.

Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms by David L. Scott.
Copyright © 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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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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