Adjacent Words

Cumber definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

CUMBER, v.t. [G., to arrest, to concern, to trouble, to grieve.]
1. To load; to crowd.
A variety of frivolous arguments cumbers the memory to no purpose.
2. To check, stop or retard, as by a load or weight; to make motion difficult; to obstruct.
Why asks he what avails him not in fight, and would but cumber and retard his flight.
3. To perplex or embarrass; to distract or trouble.
Martha was cumbered about much serving. Luke 10.
4. To trouble; to be troublesome to; to cause trouble or obstruction in, as any thing useless. Thus, brambles cumber a garden or field. [See Encumber, which is more generally used.]
CUMBER, n. Hindrance; obstruction; burdensomeness; embarrassment; disturbance; distress.
Thus fade thy helps, and thus thy cumbers spring. [This word is now scarcely used.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: hold back [syn: restrain, encumber, cumber, constrain]

Merriam Webster's

I. transitive verb (cumbered; cumbering) Etymology: Middle English combren, short for acombren, from Anglo-French acumbrer, encumbrer — more at encumber Date: 14th century 1. archaic trouble, harass 2. a. to hinder or encumber by being in the way <cumbered with heavy clothing> b. to clutter up <rocks cumbering the yard> II. noun Date: 14th century something that cumbers; especially hindrance

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. literary hamper, hinder, inconvenience. --n. a hindrance, obstruction, or burden. Etymology: ME, prob. f. ENCUMBER

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cumber Cum"ber (k?m"b?r), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Cumbered (-b?rd); p. pr. & vb. n. Cumbering.] [OE. combren, cumbren,OF. combrer to hinder, from LL. cumbrus a heap, fr. L. cumulus; cf. Skr. ?? to increase, grow strong. Cf. Cumulate.] To rest upon as a troublesome or useless weight or load; to be burdensome or oppressive to; to hinder or embarrass in attaining an object, to obstruct or occupy uselessly; to embarrass; to trouble. Why asks he what avails him not in fight, And would but cumber and retard his flight? --Dryden. Martha was cumbered about much serving. --Luke x. 40. Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? -- Luke xiii. 7. The multiplying variety of arguments, especially frivolous ones, . . . but cumbers the memory. --Locke.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Cumber Cum"ber (k?m"b?r), n. [Cf. encombre hindrance, impediment. See Cuber,v.] Trouble; embarrassment; distress. [Obs.] [Written also comber.] A place of much distraction and cumber. -- Sir H. Wotton. Sage counsel in cumber. --Sir W. Scott.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Overload, oppress, clog, hamper, obstruct, encumber. 2. Distract, trouble, embarrass, perplex, plague, harass, worry, torment.