impedimenta
/im,pedi'mentə/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The baggage and equipment carried by an army: This refers to the collective supplies, gear, and belongings that slow down or encumber a military force on the move.
- Any structure that makes progress difficult: In a broader, often figurative sense, it refers to any cumbersome objects, procedures, or conditions that obstruct or hinder forward movement or development.
Usage Examples
Noun (Military/Logistical Sense):
- The division's advance was slowed by the sheer volume of its impedimenta.
- Soldiers often had to abandon non-essential impedimenta to move faster.
Noun (General Hindrance Sense):
- The old legal system was seen as an impedimenta to economic reform.
- We packed lightly, avoiding the usual holiday impedimenta of bulky suitcases and extra gear.
Advanced Usage
- Used figuratively for abstract hindrances: The word is effectively used to describe not just physical baggage but also bureaucratic rules, outdated traditions, or mental burdens that impede progress.
- She shed the intellectual impedimenta of her old training and embraced the new theory.
Variants and Related Words
- Impediment (noun): A single thing that causes a hindrance or obstruction. (e.g., ; ).
- Note: "Impediment" is the singular form, while "impedimenta" is a plural noun (though often treated as singular in terms of verb agreement when referring to a collective set of items).
Synonyms
- Baggage: Supplies packed for travel, often with a connotation of being burdensome.
- Encumbrance: Something that is a burden or obstacle.
- Paraphernalia: Miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity (less negative than ).
Related Phrases/Idioms
- To be weighed down by impedimenta: To be hindered or slowed by one's possessions or obligations.
- The expedition failed because it was weighed down by too much scientific impedimenta.
Noun
- the baggage and equipment carried by an army
- any structure that makes progress difficult