trammel

American  

[tram-uhl] / ˈtræm əl /

noun

1. Usually trammels a hindrance or impediment to free action; restraint.

   the trammels of custom.

   Synonyms:

   inhibition , hobble , curb , drag

2. an instrument for drawing ellipses.

3. Also called tram.  a device used to align or adjust parts of a machine.

4. trammel net.

5. a fowling net.

6. a contrivance hung in a fireplace to support pots or kettles over the fire.

7. a fetter or shackle, especially one used in training a horse to amble.

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verb (used with object)

trammeled, trammeling trammelled, trammelling

1. to involve or hold in trammels; restrain.

   Synonyms:

   obstruct , impede , hinder , encumber

2. to catch or entangle in or as in a net.

trammel British  

/ ˈtræməl /

noun

1. (often plural) a hindrance to free action or movement

2. Also called: trammel net.  a fishing net in three sections, the two outer nets having a large mesh and the middle one a fine mesh

3. rare  a fowling net

4. a fetter or shackle, esp one used in teaching a horse to amble

5. a device for drawing ellipses consisting of a flat sheet of metal, plastic, or wood having a cruciform slot in which run two pegs attached to a beam. The free end of the beam describes an ellipse

6. (sometimes plural) another name for beam compass

7. Also called: tram.  a gauge for setting up machines correctly

8. a device set in a fireplace to support cooking pots

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verb

1. to hinder or restrain

2. to catch or ensnare

3. to produce an accurate setting of (a machine adjustment), as with a trammel

Other Word Forms

• trammeler noun
• trammeller noun
• untrammeled adjective

Etymology

Origin of trammel

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English tramayle, from Middle French tramail, variant of tremail “three-mesh net,” from Late Latin trēmaculum, equivalent to Latin trē(s) “three” + macula “mesh”; three

Example Sentences

In office, I thought he would be trammeled like no president in history by attacks on his businesses and his history of financial and personal scandals.

From The Wall Street Journal

In addition to being noisy, the superwide rubber can trammel a bit over patched and imperfect highway surfaces.

From The Wall Street Journal

When he brings his cattle to eat the alfalfa, they will spread their waste across the fields and trammel old vegetation into the earth.

From Seattle Times

The Supreme Court has not confronted questions about whether the law’s wording or application trammels First Amendment rights.

From New York Times

Critics worry that some countries are behaving opportunistically, using the coronavirus outbreak to justify such legislation rather than looking for other ways to address misinformation without trammeling free speech.

From Washington Post