Impediment
/ɪmˈpɛd.ɪ.mənt/noun
Something that blocks, delays, or hinders progress or speech.
Did you know?Impediment comes from Latin impedire, originally meaning “to entangle the feet,” a very physical image of being stopped before you even start.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ped-
“foot”
Latin
Latin
pes, pedis
“foot”
Latin
Latin
impedīre
“to entangle the feet; to hinder”
Late Latin
Latin
impedimentum
“a hindrance, obstacle”
Middle English
English
impediment
“a hindrance or obstruction”
Modern English
English
impediment
“something that blocks or delays progress or speech”
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