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Webster 1913 Edition

Fetter

Fet′ter

(fĕt′tẽr)
,
Noun.
[AS.
fetor
,
feter
; akin to OS.
feterōs
, pl., OD.
veter
, OHG.
fezzera
, Icel.
fjöturr
, L.
pedica
, Gr.
πέδη
, and to E.
foot
. √ 77. See
Foot
.]
[Chiefly used in the plural,
fetters
.]
1.
A chain or shackle for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or disabled from free and rapid motion; a bond; a shackle.
[They] bound him with
fetters
of brass.
Judg. xvi. 21.
2.
Anything that confines or restrains; a restraint.
Passion’s too fierce to be in
fetters
bound.
Dryden.

Fet′ter

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp.
&
p.
p.
Fettered
;
p.
pr.
&
vb.
Noun.
Fettering
.]
1.
To put fetters upon; to shackle or confine the feet of with a chain; to bind.
My heels are
fettered
, but my fist is free.
Milton.
2.
To restrain from motion; to impose restraints on; to confine; to enchain;
as,
fettered
by obligations
.
My conscience! thou art
fettered

More than my shanks and wrists.
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Fetter

FET'TER

, n.
1.
A chain for the feet; a chain by which an animal is confined by the foot, either made fast or fixed, as a prisoner, or impeded in motion and hindered from leaping, as a horse whose fore and hind feet are confined by a chain.
The Philistines bound Samson with fetters of brass.
Judges 16.
2.
Any thing that confines or restrains from motion.
Passions too fierce to be in fetters bound.

FET'TER

, v.t.
1.
To put on fetters; to shackle or confine the feet with a chain.
2.
To bind; to enchain; to confine; to restrain motion; to impose restraints on.
Fetter strong madness in a silken thread.

Definition 2024

fetter

fetter

English

Fetters in use.

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.
    • 1675, John Dryden, Aureng-zebe, Prologue:
      Passion's too fierce to be in fetters bound.
    • 1818, Mary Shelley, chapter 6, in Frankenstein:
      He looks upon study as an odious fetter; his time is spent in the open air, climbing the hills or rowing on the lake.
    • 1910, Erwin Rosen, “Prolog”, in In the Foreign Legion, HTML edition, 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):

Hyponyms

(chain binding generally):

Translations

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

Hyponyms

Translations

German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [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.

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Middle Low German vedder

Noun

fetter m ‎(definite singular fetteren, indefinite plural fettere, definite plural fetterne)

  1. a cousin (male)

Antonyms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Middle Low German vedder

Noun

fetter m ‎(definite singular fetteren, indefinite plural fetrar, definite plural fetrane)

  1. a cousin (male)

Antonyms

References

Swedish

Noun

fetter

  1. indefinite plural of fett

Vilamovian

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: fet‧ter

Noun

fetter m (plural fettyn)

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

Etymology

From Old English feter, from Proto-Germanic *fetero ‎(“foot”), from Proto-Indo-European *ped- ‎(“foot, step”). Cognate with Dutch veter ‎(“lace”).

Pronunciation

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