trammel

[ tram-uhl ]

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.

verb (used with object)

, tram·meled, tram·mel·ing or (especially British) tram·melled, tram·mel·ling.

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

/ ˈtræməl /

noun

1. often plural a hindrance to free action or movement
2. Also calledtrammel 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 calledtram a gauge for setting up machines correctly
8. a device set in a fireplace to support cooking pots

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

Derived Forms

• ˈtrammeller, noun

Other Words From

• tram·mel·er especially British, tram·mel·ler noun
• un·tram·meled especially British, un·tram·melled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trammel¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trammel¹

C14: from Old French tramail three-mesh net, from Late Latin trēmaculum , from Latin trēs three + macula hole, mesh in a net

Example Sentences

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

That is just one possibility, but my taste-buds are tickled by the wider, less trammelled paths this story could take.

From The Guardian

President Trump, for one, has stayed largely silent on the latest protests, even while grappling with Mr. Xi on trade, evidently seeking not to trammel the chance of a deal.

From New York Times