enfetter means to bind in fetters. It carries an Arena rating of 1500, earned across 76 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, enfetter ranks #2,621 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #4,090 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #4,468 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #5,005 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “enfetter” is a great word
ENFETTER — [Verb] To bind or confine with or as if with chains or shackles. From the English prefix en- (meaning "to put into or on") + fetter (from Old English feter, meaning "a shackle for the feet"). First recorded in English use 1595–1605. Unlike "hamper," which suggests impeding progress through inconvenience, or "secure," which connotes fastening for safety, to enfetter is to impose a shackle upon the very possibility of motion. It is the cold weight of an iron anklet on sun-warmed skin, the invisible tether of a debt that dictates every decision, and the rigid protocol that stifles a spontaneous laugh—the purest form of imprisonment is the one you learn to carry.
Etymology
From en- + fetter.
verb
- To bind in fetters
- To join, bind, unitee.g.“His soul is so enfettered to her love.” — c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iagg
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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