cumbered en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree English cumber Old English -ed Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂tos Proto-Germanic *-ōdaz Old English -od Middle English -ed English -ed English cumbered From cumber + -ed.
Meanings
-
(archaic) Encumbered; hampered.
Vanessa Pennington had a husband who was poor, with few extenuating circumstances, and an admirer who, though comfortably rich, was cumbered with a sense of honour.
1910, Saki [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “Cross Currents”, in Reginald in Russia and Other Sketches, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, page 94:Townsend was five hundred miles from his base, outnumbered, cumbered with sick and wounded. He faced disaster.
1964, “Allah Made Mesopotamia—and Added Flies”, in The Great War:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more cumbered | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most cumbered | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |