Dictionary trammelRestraint

noun

trammel

TRAM-ul/trˈæmʌl/

A restraint or obstacle that limits freedom.

The taut tether is a trammel on the dog's freedom to pass through the gate.

A dog’s taut tether stops it from passing through an open garden gate, making the physical restraint—not the gate—the obstacle to freedom.

Etymology

tramailOld Frenchfine-gauged fishnet

A layered net or binding became a figure for anything that hinders or restrains freedom.

More examples

She resents the trammels of convention.
The rules become trammels on creative work.

Forms

trammel · trammels

Similar words

restraint: A restriction on action or freedom.
hindrance: Something that makes progress more difficult.