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

And which, to maintain “fetters on the limbs of the blacks” proposes “to padlock the lips of the whites.”

From Salon

In lengthy posts on Chinese chat application WeChat, the art gallery expounds at length on the beauty rendered by North Korean artists because they are free from the fetters of the “market economy.”

From Seattle Times

"I just couldn't break away from the fetters."

From Reuters

She meets a ragtag group of compatriots who offer what aid they can as she navigates carnival prisons, fiery foes and the confusing fetters of the human form.

From Salon

Her mouth went dry as Fedu’s fingers fettered her wrists, no different from the ropes that had once bound her hands, but she resisted the urge to wince.

From Literature