cumber
pronunciation
How to pronounce cumber in British English:
UK ['kʌmbə]
How to pronounce cumber in American English:
US [ˈkʌmbɚ]
-
- Verb:
- hold back
Word Origin
- cumber (v.)
- c. 1300, "to overthrow, destroy; to be overwhelmed; to harass," apparently from French, but Old French combrer "to seize hold of, lay hands on, grab, snatch, take by force, rape," has not quite the same sense. Perhaps a shortened formation from a verb akin to Middle English acombren "obstructing progress," from Old French encombrer, from combre "obstruction, barrier," from Vulgar Latin *comboros "that which is carried together," perhaps from a Gaulish word. The likely roots are PIE *kom (see com-) + *bher- (1) "to bear" (see infer). Weakened sense of "to hamper, to obstruct or weigh down" is late 14c. Related: Cumbered; cumbering.
Example
- 1. Let not the dark thee cumber .
- 2. We shall not cumber our thought with his reproaches .
- 3. We could not cumber our thought with his reproaches .
- 4. Even an experienced cumber will get into trouble .
- 5. We cumber our thought with his reproaches .