dead hand
Share:
Tweet n. 1. The ever-present, oppressive influence of past events: "Psychotherapy explores the ways in which the past has shaped people, and how its dead hand continues to deform their lives" (James S. Gordon). 2. Mortmain. [Middle English dede hond, translation of Old French mortemain or Medieval Latin manus mortua, mortmain.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.