Manacles

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈmæn.ə.kəlz/

Definitions

1. A pair of metal restraints for securing a person's wrists, often used in law enforcement or correctional settings
2. Devices that restrict movement and are typically fastened around the wrists or ankles
3. Tools designed to bind someone's limbs, commonly associated with imprisonment or confinement

Etymology: The Latin "manus" meant "hand," and "manicula" was its diminutive, a little hand. That small word traveled through Old French as "manicle" and entered Middle English in the same form, where it referred to a band or fetter for the hands. The "-s" on the modern word marks the plural, since restraints almost always came in pairs, one for each wrist. The word is therefore built from the same root as "manual" and "manuscript," both of which also depend on the idea of the hand. It is a reminder that a pair of iron cuffs was named, in effect, after something as ordinary as the hand it was meant to hold still.

Synonyms: handcuffs, shackles, restraints, chains, bindings

Antonyms: freedom, liberation