Hypertext Webster Gateway: "trammel"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Trammel \Tram"mel\, n. [F. tramail, tr['e]mail, a net, LL.
tremaculum, tremacle, a kind of net for taking fish; L. tres
three + macula a mesh. See {Three}, and {Mail} armor.]
1. A kind of net for catching birds, fishes, or other prey.
--Carew.
2. A net for confining a woman's hair. --Spenser.
3. A kind of shackle used for regulating the motions of a
horse and making him amble.
4. Fig.: Whatever impedes activity, progress, or freedom, as
a net or shackle.
[They] disdain the trammels of any sordid contract.
--Jeffrey.
5. An iron hook of various forms and sizes, used for handing
kettles and other vessels over the fire.
6. (Mech.)
(a) An instrument for drawing ellipses, one part of which
consists of a cross with two grooves at right angles
to each other, the other being a beam carrying two
pins (which slide in those grooves), and also the
describing pencil.
(b) A beam compass. See under {Beam}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Trammel \Tram"mel\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Trammeled}or
{Trammelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Trammeling}, or
{Trammelling}.]
1. To entangle, as in a net; to catch. [R.] --Shak.
2. To confine; to hamper; to shackle.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Ellipsograph \El*lip"so*graph\, n. [Ellipse + graph: cf. F.
ellipsographe.]
An instrument for describing ellipses; -- called also
{trammel}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
trammel
n 1: a fishing net with three layers; the outer two are coarse
mesh and the loose inner layer is fine mesh [syn: {trammel
net}]
2: an adjustable pothook set in a fireplace
3: a fetter that is used to teach a horse to amble
4: a restraint that confines or restricts freedom (especially
something used to tie down or restrain a prisoner) [syn: {shackle},
{bond}, {hamper}, {trammels}]
v 1: catch in or as if in a trap; "The men trap foxes" [syn: {trap},
{entrap}, {snare}, {ensnare}]
2: place limits on; "restrict the use of this parking lot"
[syn: {restrict}, {restrain}, {limit}, {bound}, {confine},
{throttle}]
Additional Hypertext Webster Gateway Lookup
Gateway by dict@stokkie.net
stock only wrote the gateway and does not have any control over the contents;
see the Webster Gateway FAQ,
and also the Back-end/database links and credits.