English Lexicon

Trammel

/ˈtræm.əl/
nounverbCEFR C2 (Proficient)Top #14200 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

3 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    A restriction or impediment to someone's freedom of action.

    "She sought to break free from the traditional trammels of 19th-century society."
  2. 2

    A kind of long fishing net with three layers, used especially in estuaries.

    "The fishermen cast their trammel in the shallow coastal waters."
As verb
  1. 1

    To deprive of freedom of action; to restrict or hamper.

    "Innovators often feel trammelled by rigid corporate bureaucracy."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

Derived from Middle English and Old French 'tramail', meaning a three-ply net or a long fishing net, which traces back to the Late Latin 'tremaculum' (comprising 'tres' meaning three and 'macula' meaning mesh). Over centuries, the meaning shifted from a specialized net to any device that restrains or binds, such as a shackle, iron hook, or structural constraint.

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