befetter en · VERB
Etymology
From be- + fetter.
Meanings
-
(transitive) To confine with fetters; restrain as if by fetters.
They are the mute representatives of their tongue-tied, befettered, heavy-laden Nations; who from out of that dark bewilderment gaze wistful, amazed, with half-incredulous hope, towards you, and this your bright light of a French Federation[.]
1837, Thomas Carlyle, chapter X, in The French Revolution: A History […], volume II (The Constitution), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC, book I (The Feast of Pikes), page 52:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| befettered | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| befettered | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| befettering | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| befetters | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |