hamper

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English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A selection of wicker hampers.

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (case for holding a large goblet or cup), from hanap (goblet, drinking cup), from Frankish *hnapp (cup, bowl, basin), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (cup, bowl).

Cognate with Old High German hnapf (cup, bowl, basin) (German Napf (bowl)), Dutch nap (cup), Old English hnæpp (bowl). More at nap.

Alternative forms

Noun

hamper (plural hampers)

  1. A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals.
    a hamper of wine
    a clothes hamper
    an oyster hamper, which contains two bushels
  2. (uncommon outside New England) A wicker or plastic basket specifically for holding laundry (from clothes hamper), as opposed to a covered wicker basket which is a true hamper.
  3. (UK) A gift basket.
Translations

Verb

hamper (third-person singular simple present hampers, present participle hampering, simple past and past participle hampered)

  1. (transitive) To put into a hamper.
    Competition pigeons are hampered for the truck trip to the point of release where the race back starts.
Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English hamperen, hampren (to hamper, oppress), probably of the same origin as English hamble (to limp), Scots hamp (to halt in walking, stutter), Dutch haperen (to falter, hesitate), German hemmen (to stop, hinder, check). More at hamble.

Verb

hamper (third-person singular simple present hampers, present participle hampering, simple past and past participle hampered)

  1. (transitive) To put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle.
    Synonyms: ensnare, inveigle
  2. To impede in motion or progress.
    Synonyms: hinder, embarrass, encumber
    • 1712, Richard Blackmore, Creation: A Philosophical Poem:
      Engend'ring heats, these one by one unbind, Stretch their small tubes, and hamper'd nerves unwind.
    • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion:
      They hamper and entangle our souls.
    • 2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, page 44:
      NR Senior Programme Manager Adrian Elliott describes the progress to date: "The weather has played a big part in hampering the programme. We had the wettest autumn ever and a number of winter storms to contend with, [...]
Translations

Noun

hamper (plural hampers)

  1. A shackle; a fetter; anything which impedes.
  2. (nautical) Articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times.
Derived terms
  • top-hamper (unnecessary spars and rigging kept aloft)
Translations

Anagrams

Indonesian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from English hamper.

Pronunciation

Noun

hampêr (plural hamper-hamper)

  1. a gift, especially in a hamper or something similar

Further reading

Old Swedish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Norse hampr, from Proto-Germanic *hanapiz.

Noun

hamper m

  1. hemp

Declension

Descendants

  • Swedish: hampa

References