shackle

Meaning

Noun

1. (plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
2. (broadly, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
3. (broadly, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
4. (broadly, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
5. (broadly, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
6. (broadly, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
7. (Scotland, abbreviation, alt-of, archaic, broadly, ellipsis, plural-normally) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
8. (broadly, obsolete, plural-normally, rare) A restraint fitted over a human or animal appendage, such as an ankle, finger, or wrist, normally used in a pair joined by a chain.
9. (figuratively, plural-normally) A restraint on one's action, activity, or progress.
10. A length of cable or chain equal to 12½ fathoms (75 feet or about 22.9 metres), or later to 15 fathoms (90 feet or about 27.4 metres).

Verb

1. (transitive) To place (a person or animal) in shackles (noun sense 1); to immobilize or restrain using shackles.
2. (transitive) To connect or couple (something) to another thing using a shackle (noun sense 1.1.1, sense 1.1.3, etc.).
3. (transitive) To provide (something) with a shackle.
4. (figuratively, transitive) To inhibit or restrain the ability, action, activity, or progress of (someone or something); to render (someone or something) incapable or ineffectual.
5. (figuratively, obsolete, transitive) To combine (a substance) with another substance.
6. (intransitive, reflexive) Of two things: to connect or couple together.

Verb

1. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To rattle or shake (something).
2. (UK, dialectal, transitive) To put (something) into disorder; specifically (agriculture), to cause (standing stalks of corn) to fall over.
3. (UK, dialectal, intransitive) Often followed by about: to be idle or lazy; to avoid work.

Opposite of

uncuff, unfetter, unhandcuff, unmanacle, unshackle, free, liberate, unbind, untie

Synonyms

fetter

chain

propeller

thruster machinery compartment

thrust propeller

handcuff

rudder

saw

🪚

drill

winch

bow

🙇

televisor

thruster

maneuvering device

manacle

bind

tie

trammel

bond

tie up

pinion

tether

hobble

imprison

gyve

enchain

tie down

secure

hamper

fasten

restrain

restraint

confine

hopple

restriction

attach

belay

chains

⛓️

chain up

clamp

🗜️

clevis

constraint

couple

👫

gird

hitch

hog-tie

iron

irons

link

🔗

lock

🔒

Translations

manille

grillete

boeien

ketenen

grilhão

trabar

pranga

keten

fesseln

Schäkel

chaîne

algema

boei

kluister

grillo

🦗

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈʃækl̩/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: shakel

Inherited from Old English: sċacul

Cognate with Danish: skagle

Cognate with Dutch: schakel

Cognate with German: Schäckel

Cognate with Icelandic: skökull

Cognate with Swedish: skakel

Inherited from Middle English: schakelen

In summary

From Middle English shakel, schakkyl, schakle (“a fetter, shackle; coupling used to connect a plough or wagon to a draft chain”), from Old English sċacul, sċeacel, sċeacul (“fetter, shackle”), from Proto-West Germanic *skakul, from Proto-Germanic *skakulaz (“shackle”), possibly from *skakaną (“to shake; to swing; to escape”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeg-, *skek- (“to shake; to stir”). However, this is doubted by the Oxford English Dictionary because *skeg-, *skek- lack the meaning of attaching or fastening.
Sense 3 (“length of cable or chain equal to 12½ or 15 fathoms”) derives from the original distance between two shackles (sense 1.1.3) connecting lengths of cable or chain together.
Cognates
* Danish skagle (“carriage trace”)
* Dutch schakel (“clasp; link; shackle”)
* German Schäckel (“shackle”)
* Icelandic skökull (“carriage pole”)
* Swedish skakel (“loose shaft of a carriage”)