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English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Middle English schakkyl, schakle, from Old English sċeacel, sċeacul, sċacul (“shackle, bond, fetter”), from Proto-West Germanic *skakul, from Proto-Germanic *skakulaz (“shackle”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeg-, *skek- (“to jump, move, shake, stir”), equivalent to shake + -le. Cognate with Dutch schakel (“link, shackle, clasp”), German Schäckel (“shackle”), Danish skagle (“a carriage trace”), Swedish skakel (“the loose shaft of a carriage”), Icelandic skökull (“a carriage pole”).
Noun
shackle (plural shackles)
- (usually in the plural) A restraint fit over a human or animal appendage, such as a wrist, ankle or finger; normally used in pairs joined by a chain.
- Synonym: hobble
- Hyponyms: handcuff, manacle, fetter
The prisoner lay in shackles in his gloomy cell.
- A U-shaped piece of metal secured with a pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism.
- Coordinate term: clevis
- (figuratively, usually in the plural) A restraint on one's action, activity, or progress.
1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, 6th edition, volumes (please specify |volume=I to VI), London: J Bettenham, for Jonah Bowyer, , published 1727, →OCLC:His very will seems to be in bonds and shackles.
1876, Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XXXV, in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Hartford, Conn.: The American Publishing Company, →OCLC, pages 269–270:He had to eat with a knife and fork; he had to use napkin, cup, and plate; he had to learn his book, he had to go to church; he had to talk so properly that speech was become insipid in his mouth; whithersoever he turned, the bars and shackles of civilization shut him in and bound him hand and foot.
1964, “Sister Suffragette”, performed by Glynis Johns:Cast off the shackles of yesterday! / Shoulder to shoulder into the fray!
- A fetter-like band worn as an ornament.
1697, William Dampier, A New Voyage Round the World:Most of the men and women […] had all earrings made of gold, and gold shackles about their legs and arms.
- A link for connecting railroad cars; a drawlink or draglink.
- A length of cable or chain equal to 12
+1⁄2 fathoms or 75 feet, or later to 15 fathoms.
Derived terms
Translations
restraint fit over an appendage
- Albanian: pranga (sq) f
- Bulgarian: окови (bg) pl (okovi)
- Catalan: grilló (ca) m, grillons (ca) m pl
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 手銬/手铐 (zh) (shǒukào)
- Danish: jern (da)
- Dutch: boeien (nl) f pl
- Esperanto: mankateno
- Finnish: kahle (fi)
- French: menottes (fr) f pl, fers (fr) pl
- Galician: grilón m, braga (gl) f, ferropea f, ferros
- German: Handschellen (de), Fessel (de)
- Gothic: 𐌽𐌰𐌿𐌳𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌹 f (naudibandi)
- Greek:
- Ancient: πέδη f (pédē)
- Hebrew: אֲזִקִּים (he) m pl (aziqím)
- Hungarian: bilincs (hu), béklyó (hu)
- Interlingua: ferros pl, manica
- Irish: iarnach m
- Italian: maniglia (it) f, maniglione m, ceppo (it) m, ceppi (it) m pl, ferri (it) m pl
- Japanese: 手錠 (ja) (てじょう, tejō)
- Korean: 수갑 (ko) (sugap)
- Latin: vincula n pl
- Macedonian: оков m (okov), пранга f (pranga)
- Malayalam: വിലങ്ങ് (ml) (vilaṅṅŭ)
- Norwegian: jern (no) n
- Plautdietsch: Spaunsel n
- Polish: kajdany (pl) nvir
- Portuguese: grilhão (pt) m, algema (pt) m, ferros (pt) m pl, grilhetas f pl
- Russian: нару́чники (ru) m pl (narúčniki) (wrists only), кандалы́ (ru) pl (kandalý), у́зы (ru) pl (úzy), око́вы (ru) pl (okóvy)
- Spanish: grillete (es) m, grillos (es) m pl
- Swedish: boja (sv) c
- Telugu: సంకెళ్ళు (te) (saṅkeḷḷu), బంధనాలు (bandhanālu)
- Turkish: pranga (tr), kelepçe (tr)
- Ukrainian: кайда́ни (uk) pl (kajdány), пу́то n (púto), пу́та n pl (púta)
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restraint on one's action
fetter-like band worn as an ornament
link for connecting railroad cars
Further reading
Etymology 2
From Middle English schakelen, schakkylen, from the noun (see above).
Verb
shackle (third-person singular simple present shackles, present participle shackling, simple past and past participle shackled)
- (transitive) To restrain using shackles; to place in shackles.
- (transitive, by extension) To render immobile or incapable; to inhibit the progress or abilities of.
This law would effectively shackle its opposition.
1973, “Swamp Witch”, in Jim Stafford (lyrics), Jim Stafford, performed by Jim Stafford:Some say the plague was brought by Hattie
There was talk of a hangin' too.
But the talk got shackled by the howls and the cackles
From the bowels of the Black bayou.
2011 February 12, Phil McNulty, “Man Utd 2 - 1 Man City”, in BBC:
Antonyms
Translations
to restrain using shackles
to inhibit the abilities of
Etymology 3
From shack (“shake”) + -le.
Verb
shackle (third-person singular simple present shackles, present participle shackling, simple past and past participle shackled)
- (dialectal) To shake, rattle.
Anagrams
Scots
Etymology
From Old English sceacel, sceacul, scacul (“shackle, bond, fetter”), from Proto-Germanic *skakulaz (“shackle”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeg-, *skek- (“to jump, move, shake, stir”).
Pronunciation
Noun
shackle (plural shackles)
- shackle, fetter, manacle
- (anatomy) wrist
Derived terms
Verb
shackle (third-person singular simple present shackles, present participle shacklin, simple past shackelt, past participle shackelt)
- to shackle