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cramp

Pronunciation: /kɹæmp/

The English word “cramp” has 12 meanings listed here.

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.

adjective

  1. cramped; narrow

Etymology

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.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.