Definition

1. Noun:

   • A shackle or chain for the feet: A physical restraint, typically made of metal, used to confine a person's ankles or an animal's feet, limiting movement.
   • Something that restricts or restrains: A figurative constraint on freedom, action, or progress.

2. Verb:

   • To restrain with fetters: To put shackles or chains on someone's feet.
   • To restrict or bind: To confine or limit someone or something, often in a non-physical sense.

Usage Examples

• Noun:

  • The prisoner's fetters clanked as he walked. (The metal restraints on the prisoner's ankles made noise.)
  • Fear can be a fetter to personal growth. (Fear can act as a restraint that prevents development.)

• Verb:

  • The guards fettered the captive to the wall. (The guards chained the captive's feet to the wall.)
  • She felt fettered by the company's strict regulations. (She felt restricted by the company's rigid rules.)

Advanced Usage

• "In fetters": Literally or figuratively in a state of being bound or restricted.

  • The old system kept the economy in fetters. (The old system heavily restricted the economy.)

• "To cast off one's fetters": To free oneself from restrictions.

  • The artist cast off the fetters of tradition. (The artist freed herself from the constraints of traditional styles.)

Variants and Related Words

• Fettered (adj): Restrained or bound, either physically or metaphorically.
  • The fettered prisoner could not escape.
• Fetterless (adj): Without fetters; free from restraint. (This is a less common word.)
  • He dreamed of a fetterless life.

Synonyms

• Noun (Physical): Shackle, chain, bond, manacle, irons.
• Noun (Figurative): Restraint, constraint, hindrance, impediment.
• Verb: Shackle, chain, bind, restrain, confine, hamper.

Related Phrasal Verbs/Constructions

(Note: "Fetter" is not commonly used in standard phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is typically direct: "fetter someone/something.")

Related Idioms

• "Golden fetters": Attractive or appealing things that nevertheless restrict one's freedom.
  • The high salary was a golden fetter, keeping him in a job he disliked.
• "Fetter of the mind": A mental restriction or limitation.
  • Prejudice is a powerful fetter of the mind.

Noun

1. a shackle for the ankles or feet

Verb

1. restrain with fetters