Encumbrance
/ɪnˈkʌm.brəns/noun
A burden, obstruction, or legal claim that restricts use or movement.
Did you know?Its ancestry runs through Old French and Medieval Latin, where the core idea was not mystical—but brutally physical: to load, weigh down, and obstruct.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kom-
“with, together; used in prefixes suggesting addition or intensification”
Latin
Latin
cum
“with, together”
Late Latin
LLatin
comburrare
“to burn together”
Old French
OF
encumbrer
“to block, burden, or crowd in”
Middle English
English
encumbren
“to obstruct, burden, or hinder”
Modern English
English
encumbrance
“a burden or legal restriction on property”
Explore more surprising origins