Link Centre Dictionary

hamper

ham·per

UK/ˈham.pə/ US/ˈhæm.pə/ uncommon uk us

verb

1.

prevent the progress or free movement of

  • “He was hampered in his efforts by the bad weather”
  • “the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries”
2.

put at a disadvantage

  • “The brace I have to wear is hindering my movements”

noun

1.
2.

a basket usually with a cover

Origin

From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“cup, bowl”). Cognate with Old High German hnapf (“cup, bowl, basin”) (German Napf (“bowl”)), Dutch nap (“cup”), Old English hnæpp (“bowl”). More at nap.

Related words

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.