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Added 9 October 2026

trammel

/ˈtræməl/ noun

Latin root: tremaculum Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about trammel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A fishing net with three layers; the outer two are coarse mesh and the loose inner layer is fine mesh.
An adjustable pothook set in a fireplace.
A restraint that is used to teach a horse to amble.

verb

Catch in or as if in a trap.
The men trap foxes
Place limits on (extent or amount or access).
restrict the use of this parking lot

Origin

From Middle English trameyle, from Old French tramail (“net for catching fish”), from Late Latin tremaculum, from tri- (“tri-”) + macula (“spot, speck; mesh, cell”). Cognate with Italian tramaglio (“trammel”), Spanish trasmallo (“drift net”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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