Hinder

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈhɪndə/

Definitions

1. To create obstacles that slow down or prevent progress or development
2. To make it harder for someone or something to move forward or achieve goals
3. To interfere with or delay the progress or effectiveness of a process or activity

Etymology: Before it meant to slow someone down, "hinder" was built on a simple spatial idea: being behind. Its ancestor, Proto-Germanic "*hinder," was an adverb meaning "back" or "behind," and the verb "hinderian" in Old English grew directly from that sense of being held back, put at the rear. The same root gave English the adjective "hind," as in "hindquarters," and the Middle English comparative "hinder," meaning "further back." The word is related to the Latin "contra," meaning "back, against," which points to a shared Indo-European sense of opposition and position. German "hindern" and Dutch "hinderen" keep the verb's original shape across the Germanic languages, so the idea of blocking someone from moving forward has stayed close to the root meaning for well over a thousand years.

Synonyms: obstruct, impede, delay, prevent, interfere

Antonyms: facilitate, aid, assist, help, support