Obstructs

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To block or prevent movement or progression by creating an obstacle or barrier that disrupts normal functioning or flow in various contexts
2. Prevents the free movement or development of something by placing an obstacle in its path
3. Acts to hinder or stop the natural or intended course of action by creating a barrier

Etymology: "Obstructs" is the third-person singular present form of "obstruct," so the history belongs to the verb itself. The root image is physical: Latin "obstruere" combined "ob," meaning "against," with "struere," meaning "pile up" or "build." To obstruct was literally to build something up against another thing, so that the path was blocked by a heap of material. The past participle "obstructus" carried the sense "blocked up," and that concrete picture of stacked stone or debris is what the English verb inherits. The abstract meaning of hindering progress or movement grew out of this image of a physical barrier piled into the way.

Synonyms: blocks, hinders, impedes, prevents, thwarts

Antonyms: facilitates, aids, supports