Shackle
/ˈʃæk.əl/noun
A metal fastening that restrains movement, especially around the ankles or wrists; also, anything that limits freedom.
Did you know?Shackle is ultimately tied to a Germanic root for “split/fork,” the same ancient family behind words for a branch or forked form, showing how a word for shape became a word for restraint.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skel-
“to cut, split”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skakkô / *skakkulaz
“something hooked or bent; a fastening”
Old English
English
sceacul
“a fetter or shackle”
Middle English
English
shakel / shackle
“a fetter, chain, or bond”
Modern English
English
shackle
“a metal restraint or something that restricts freedom”