Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A device for confining the hands, usually consisting of a set of two metal rings that are fastened about the wrists and joined by a metal chain.
  • noun Something that confines or restrains.
  • transitive verb To put manacles on (someone); restrain with manacles.
  • transitive verb To restrain the action or progress of: synonym: hobble.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An instrument of iron for fettering the hand; a handcuff or shackle: generally used in the plural.
  • noun Synonyms Gyves, Fetter, etc. See shackle.
  • To confine the hands of with handcuffs; shackle; hence, to restrain or fetter the will or action; impose constraint upon.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A handcuff; a shackle for the hand or wrist; -- usually in the plural.
  • transitive verb To put handcuffs or other fastening upon, for confining the hands; to shackle; to confine; to restrain from the use of the limbs or natural powers.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A shackle, consisting of a pair of joined rings, to restrict the free movement of the hands or feet.
  • noun Any similar device such as a fetter or handcuffs.
  • verb To confine with manacles.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun shackle that consists of a metal loop that can be locked around the wrist; usually used in pairs
  • verb confine or restrain with or as if with manacles or handcuffs

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French manicle, from Latin manicula, diminutive of manus, hand; see man- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • “Thank the good Lord,” Minerva whispered, her fingers a manacle about his arm.

    How to Woo a Reluctant Lady Deborah Gonzales 2011

  • “Thank the good Lord,” Minerva whispered, her fingers a manacle about his arm.

    How to Woo a Reluctant Lady Deborah Gonzales 2011

  • If the neck of the victim be broken by the alleged shrewd arrangement of knot and noose, and by the alleged shrewd calculation of the weight of the victim and the length of slack, then why do they manacle the arms of the victim?

    Chapter 3 2010

  • An amnesiac, later identified asJake Lonergan Daniel Craig, recovers consciousness in the wilderness, horseless, a photo of a woman half-buried in the sand before him and a curious manacle or bracelet on his left arm, which, given the movie's title, suggests extraterrestrial origins.

    Cowboys & Aliens – review 2011

  • But at least the Spacing gang has the sense to reach beyond that geo-cultural manacle.

    » Toronto’s new-old is the new beautiful • Spacing Toronto • understanding the urban landscape 2009

  • Jake had seen the look on her puss, the look she had worn every day since she got the manacle on his finger.

    Come Again No More Jack Todd 2010

  • He blindly swatted at her, but still she managed to manacle his wrist in a surprisingly strong grip, and then wedge her shoulder under his armpit as she straightened to lift him up.

    Dragon Warrior Janet Chapman 2010

  • He blindly swatted at her, but still she managed to manacle his wrist in a surprisingly strong grip, and then wedge her shoulder under his armpit as she straightened to lift him up.

    Dragon Warrior Janet Chapman 2010

  • Siren, we are on our wayfarer to the very darkroom of the forester, where manacle has grown the powerboat of the plow and pained to be human in the main.

    Life is Life (or Ode to a great big idiot like Zizek) 2010

  • I'd read somewhere that over time the manacle got smaller until it was finally a tiny band worn on the finger.

    The Art of Removing a Wedding Band 2010

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