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trammel

tram·mel

UK/ˈtræməl/ US/ˈtræmʌl/ uncommon
noun (4) verb (2)

noun

1.

a fishing net with three layers; the outer two are coarse mesh and the loose inner layer is fine mesh

Synonyms
2.
3.

a restraint that is used to teach a horse to amble

4.

a restraint that confines or restricts freedom (especially something used to tie down or restrain a prisoner)

Synonyms

verb

1.

catch in or as if in a trap

  • “The men trap foxes”
Synonyms
2.

place limits on (extent or access)

  • “restrict the use of this parking lot”
  • “limit the time you can spend with your friends”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English trameyle, from Old French tramail (“net for catching fish”), from Late Latin tremaculum, from tri- (“tri-”) + macula (“spot, speck; mesh, cell”). Cognate with Italian tramaglio (“trammel”), Spanish trasmallo (“drift net”).

Phrases

  • trammel of Archimedes
  • trammel wheel

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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.