fetter

English

Wikipedia

Fetters in use.

Etymology

Old English feter. Cognate with Dutch veter (“lace”).

Pronunciation

• (Australia) IPA: /ˈfet.ə/, X-SAMPA: /"fet.@/
• (RP) IPA: /ˈfɛt.ə/, X-SAMPA: /"fEt.@/
• (US) IPA: /ˈfɛt.ɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"fEt.@`/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛtə(r)

Noun

fetter (plural fetters)

1. A chain or similar object used to bind a person or animal - often by its legs (usually in plural).
2. (figuratively) Anything that restricts or restrains.
   • Dryden

     Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.

   • 1910, Erwin Rosen, “Prolog”, in In the Foreign Legion^[1], edition HTML, The Gutenberg Project, published 2012:

     That was the turning-point of my life. I broke my fetters, and I fought a hard fight for a new career …

Synonyms

(chains on legs):

• leg irons

Hyponyms

(chain binding generally):

• handcuff, handcuffs
• leg irons
• manacle, manacles
• shackle, shackles

Translations

object used to bind a person or animal by its legs

• Bulgarian: букаи (bg) (bukai) pl
• Burmese: ထူး (my) (htu:)
• Catalan: grilló (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: trad. 鐐, simpl. 镣 (liáo)

• Czech: pouto (cs) n
• Dutch: boeien (nl)
• Finnish: kahleet (fi) pl, kahle (fi)
• French: entrave (fr) f
• German: Fußschellen (de)
• Hungarian: béklyó (hu), lábbilincs (hu)

• Italian: ferri (it) m pl, ceppi (it) m pl
• Macedonian: оков (mk) (ókov) m, пранга (mk) (pránga) f
• Persian: غل و زنجیر (fa) (ğol-o-zanjir), بند (fa) (band)
• Polish: kajdany pl, okowy pl, pęto n, pęta pl
• Portuguese: ferros m pl, grilhões m pl, grilhetas f pl, peia f
• Russian: путы (ru) (púty) f pl, оковы (ru) (okóvy) f pl, кандалы (ru) (kandalý) m pl
• Scottish Gaelic: di-leum (gd) m, cuibhreach (gd) m
• Spanish: grillete (es) m, (for animals) manea (es) f
• Swedish: fotboja (sv) c
• Turkish: pranga (tr)

anything that restricts or restrains in any way

• Bulgarian: окови (bg) (okovi) pl
• Catalan: obstacle (ca) m
• Finnish: kahle (fi)
• Hungarian: bilincs (hu), lánc (hu)
• Italian: ostacoli (it) m pl

• Macedonian: оков (mk) (ókov) m
• Persian: قید (fa) (qeyd), قید و بند (fa) (qeyd-o-band)
• Portuguese: grilhões m pl, peia f
• Russian: путы (ru) (púty) pl, оковы (ru) (okóvy) f pl
• Sanskrit: राहुल (sa)
• Spanish: traba (es) f, obstáculo (es) m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: hlekkir n, fótajárn n
• Korean: 차꼬 (chaggo), 족쇄 (jokswae)
• Old English: feter f, hæft m
• Spanish: grillo m, grillete m, pihuela f
• Vietnamese: cùm

Verb

fetter (third-person singular simple present fetters, present participle fettering, simple past and past participle fettered)

1. (transitive) To shackle or bind up with fetters
2. (transitive) To restrain or impede; to hamper.

Derived terms

• unfetter

Hyponyms

• handcuff
• manacle
• shackle

Translations

(transitive) To shackle or bind up with fetters

• Bulgarian: оковавам (bg) (okovavam)
• Catalan: engrillonar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: trad. 束縛, simpl. 束缚 (shùfú)

• Finnish: kahlita (fi)
• Italian: incatenare (it)

• Macedonian: оковува (mk) (okóvuva)
• Persian: بستن (fa) (bastan)
• Russian: заковывать (ru) (zakovyvatʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: cuibhrich (gd)
• Spanish: engrilletar (es)
• Swedish: fjättra (sv)

(transitive) To restrain or impede; to hamper

• Bulgarian: спъвам (bg) (spǎvam), ограничавам (bg) (ograničavam)
• Catalan: impedir (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: trad. 束縛, simpl. 束缚 (shùfú)

• Finnish: kahlita (fi), rajoittaa (fi)

• French: entraver (fr)
• Italian: ostacolare (it)
• Latin: teneo (la)
• Russian: сковывать (ru) (skovyvatʹ), связывать (ru) (svjazyvatʹ)
• Spanish: impedir (es)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Icelandic: fjötra, hlekkja

• Portuguese: acorrentar, agrilhoar, encadear, prender

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German

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ˈfɛtɐ]
• Homophone: Vetter

Adjective

fetter

1. strong masculine singular nominative form of fett.
2. strong feminine singular genitive form of fett.
3. strong feminine singular dative form of fett.
4. strong plural genitive form of fett.
5. mixed masculine singular nominative form of fett.
6. predicative comparative form of fett.

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Swedish

Noun

fetter

1. indefinite plural of fett

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Vilamovian

Noun

fetter m plural fettyn)

1. paternal uncle (brother of someone’s father)