Spragged

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Stopped a wheel or vehicle from rolling by wedging a block, chock, or similar object beneath it ; prevented someone from moving or acting freely
2. Blocked the motion of a wheel or conveyance by inserting a prop underneath ; held back or restrained a person or action
3. Immobilized a rolling object by jamming a support under it ; kept someone or something from proceeding or escaping

Etymology: "Spragged" is the past form of "sprag", a verb meaning to jam a wheel or vehicle with a wooden stick or brake, and the noun it comes from is linked to "spray", meaning a branch. The idea behind the noun is a slender twig or pole that is pushed into something to stop it moving. The verb carries that same notion of wedging an object to hold it fast, which is why a sprag is a piece of wood thrust into the spokes of a wheel or against a moving part. The connection to "spray" is one of those surprises of English spelling: a twig and a stick used as a brake have no obvious link to the fine mist of "spray", yet both derive from the same older root meaning a slender branch. The spelling of "sprag" has stayed close to that original form, while the sense has narrowed to a practical object used on carts, mine trucks and similar machinery.