Gyving

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of restraining or confining with shackles or fetters; the state of being bound or chained to restrict movement; a metaphorical sense of being trapped or limited by circumstances
2. The process of fastening or securing with chains or irons to prevent escape; the condition of physical captivity using metal bonds; figuratively, a constraint or limitation imposed on freedom
3. The use of chains or similar restraints to hold someone or something in place; the status of being physically locked or tethered; symbolically, an imposed restriction or hindrance on liberty

Etymology: The modern spelling of this word suggests a soft "j" sound, but that pronunciation is a later accident. The noun "gyves" meant shackles or fetters for prisoners, and it appears in Middle English only in the plural, which suggests people spoke of a pair of fetters as a single object. Its origin is uncertain, but scholars have proposed a link to Celtic languages: Welsh "gefyn" and Irish "geibbionn" both mean fetter, and these trace back to a Proto-Celtic root meaning shackle or chain. The verb came later and was formed directly from that noun, first appearing in Middle English as "given" or "gyven," meaning to shackle someone. The "j" sound in the modern pronunciation comes from spelling rather than from the original sound, which is why the word now looks more like a relative of "give" than it does of a fetter.

Synonyms: shackling, binding, restraining

Antonyms: freeing, releasing