Stymes

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. A method or strategy to confound or obstruct someone’s plans
2. Tools or devices used to create resistance or impede progress
3. An effort to challenge or thwart another’s intentions through clever means

Etymology: "Stymes" is the plural of "styme," a noun that is also used as a verb, and its sense of blocking someone's progress comes from the game of golf. Its origin lies in the Scots word "styme," meaning a glimmer or faint glimpse, a sense that gave rise to the golfing use. In that game, a "stymie" describes a position where an opponent's ball lies directly between one's own ball and the hole, so the shot is blocked. The plural form simply shows that the word can be used for several such obstacles at once, or as the third-person singular form of the verb, as in "the rule stymes progress." Because the verb and noun both derive from the same golfing idea, the plural and verb forms share one history.

Synonyms: blocks, obstructs, hinders, impedes, thwarts

Antonyms: aids, helps, facilitates, assists, enables