Viselike

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Gripping or holding with an extremely firm, tight, and unyielding pressure that is difficult to escape from
2. Characterized by an extremely tight and crushing grip that squeezes with relentless, unbreakable force
3. Resembling the intense, constricting pressure of a mechanical clamp that firmly secures objects without releasing

Etymology: "Viselike" is simply "vise" with the suffix "-like" attached, so its story is mostly the story of its two parts. The "vise" in question is the metal clamp that holds a workpiece steady by squeezing it between two jaws, a sense that goes back to the Latin "vitis," meaning vine, through the idea of a twisting, winding tool. The word reached English through French, where "vis" meant screw, and it was originally used for the screw-threaded device itself. The second part, "-like," is one of the most productive suffixes in English. It comes from the Old English "-lic," which in turn traces back to a Proto-Germanic root meaning "body" or "form," so that "like" originally meant having the form or appearance of something. Attaching it to "vise" produces the sense of something resembling a vise: tight, gripping, and impossible to pull free from.

Synonyms: clamping, gripping, seizing, holding, clutching

Antonyms: loose, slack, unfastened, relaxed, free