encumber means to load down something with a burden. It carries an Arena rating of 1543, earned across 6 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, encumber ranks #1,137 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #2,113 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,187 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #3,468 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
encumber is pronounced /ɪnˈkʌmbə(ɹ)/.
Why “encumber” is a great word
To burden or impede someone or something with a heavy load, difficulty, or obligation. From Middle English encombren, from Old French encombrer, from en- (causative prefix) + combrer ("to hinder, block"), with combre likely referring to a river barrier or dam. Unlike "hamper," which suggests a temporary, partial hindrance, or "constrain," which implies restriction by rule or force, to encumber is to load down with a sustained and tangible mass. It is the sodden wool of a winter coat, the accrued clutter narrowing a family home, the unspoken debt that bends a child's shoulders—the quiet, persistent physics of being anchored to the earth.
Etymology
From Middle English encombren, from Old French encombrer, from en- + combrer (“to hinder”) (See cumber). By surface analysis, en- + cumber.
verb
- To load down something with a burden.
- To restrict or block something with a hindrance or impediment.e.g.“He [Timothy Forsyte] had never committed the imprudence of marrying or encumbering himself in any way with children.” — 1906 – 1921, John Galsworthy, “Encounter”, in The Forsyte Saga, volume 1:
- To burden with a legal claim or other obligation.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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