fetter

[ fet-er ]

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.

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

1. to restrict or confine
2. to bind in fetters

Derived Forms

• ˈfetterless, adjective
• ˈfetterer, noun

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fetter¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fetter¹

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

Example Sentences

For new building 100 Fetter Lane in London, architects Fletcher Priest and engineers Waterman have been asking suppliers to provide information for materials passports.

From BBC

Its co-founder is Anastasia Stella, who is also associate sustainability consultant for the Fetter Lane project at Waterman.

From BBC

Though these newfangled ingredients may be exciting, the newcomers are often propped up by simple, old school methods, says Debbie Fetter, an assistant professor of teaching nutrition at UC Davis.

From National Geographic

Fetter explains that plant-based compounds exist in a matrix of others, whose interactions could boost, neutralize, or diminish each other’s effectiveness.

From National Geographic

“Putin has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear use,” said Steve Fetter, dean of the graduate school and a public policy professor at the University of Maryland.

From Seattle Times