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trammel Definition

tram·mel (traməl)

noun

    1. a fishing net consisting of two outer layers of coarse mesh and a loosely hung middle layer of fine mesh
    2. a fowling net
  1. a kind of shackle for a horse, esp. one to teach ambling
  2. something that confines, restrains, or shackles
  3. a device with links or openings at different heights for hanging a pothook in a fireplace
  4. an instrument for drawing ellipses
  5. any of several devices for adjusting or aligning parts of a machine

Etymology: ME tramaile < MFr tramail, a net < ML tremaculum, kind of fishing net < L tres, three + macula, a mesh

transitive verb -·meled or -·melled, -·mel·ing or -·mel·ling

  1. to entangle in or as in a trammel
  2. to confine, restrain, or shackle

trammel Related Forms

tram·meler noun or tram·mel·ler

trammel Synonyms

trammel

v.

trammel Usage Examples

Preposition: of

past: Otto Scharmer has created a model for the process of escaping the trammels of the past, and sensing the future as it emerges.

Preposition: by

constraint: In addition, impartiality implies fairness, although its application may be trammelled by the overall constraints of adjudication.

Modifies a noun

net: On the basis of that rule, no angler may gill net, trawl, or trammel net for commercial use.

Modifying Another Word

not: It is not trammelled by the logic and reasoning of the conscious mind, and it is far more profound.

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