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hob·ble

(hŏbəl)

v. hob·bled, hob·bling, hob·bles

v.intr.

To walk or move along haltingly or with difficulty; limp.

v.tr.

1. To put a device around the legs of (a horse, for example) so as to hamper but not prevent movement.

2. To cause to limp.

3. To hamper the action or progress of; impede.

1. A hobbling walk or gait.

2. A device, such as a rope or strap, used to hobble an animal.

[Middle English hobblen, of Low German origin; akin to Middle Dutch hobbelen, to roll.]

hobbler n.

Synonyms: hobble, fetter, handcuff, hogtie, manacle, shackle
These verbs mean to restrict the activity or free movement of: a graduate hobbled by debt; researchers fettered by outmoded thinking; entrepreneurs handcuffed by rigid regulations; leadership that refused to be hogtied; imagination manacled by fear; an artist shackled by convention.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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