English Explanatory Dictionary

cramp

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A painful contraction of a muscle which cannot be controlled; (sometimes) a similar pain even without noticeable contraction.
  2. That which confines or contracts.
  3. A clamp for carpentry or masonry.
  4. A piece of wood having a curve corresponding to that of the upper part of the instep, on which the upper leather of a boot is stretched to give it the requisite shape.
verb
  1. (of a muscle) To contract painfully and uncontrollably.
  2. To affect with cramps or spasms.
  3. To prohibit movement or expression of.
  4. To restrain to a specific physical position, as if with a cramp.
  5. To fasten or hold with, or as if with, a cramp iron.
  6. To bind together; to unite.
  7. To form on a cramp.
adj
  1. cramped; narrow
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/kɹæmp/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-cramp.wav

Word forms

cramp cramps cramping cramped more cramp most cramp

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Frankish *krampōder. Proto-Germanic *krampôder. Middle Dutch crampeder. Old French crampebor. Middle English crampe English cramp From Middle English crampe, from Old French crampe (“cramp”), from Frankish *krampa (“cramp”), from Proto-West Germanic *krampu, from Proto-Germanic *krampō (“cramp, clasp”). Distant relative of English crop.

Synonyms

restraint shackle hindrance

Derived words

bather's cramp brain cramp cramp ball crampbark cramp bone crampet cramp fasciculation syndrome crampfish cramp iron crampish cramp ring crampy menstrual cramp musician's cramp uncramp wanker's cramp writer's cramp crampingly cramp someone's style cramp up
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on C Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary