impediment
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)
- something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progressSynonyms: hindrancehinderancedeterrentbalkbaulkcheckhandicapType of difficulty, difficultnessKinds obstacle, drag, albatross, bind, diriment impediment, straitjacket
- any structure that makes progress difficultSynonyms: obstructionobstructorobstructerimpedimentaType of structure, constructionKinds obstacle, barrier, bar, hindrance, blockade, tumbler, blockage
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: L. impedimentum: cf. F. impediment.
That which impedes or hinders progress, motion, activity, or effect.
Thus far into the bowels of the land Have we marched on without impediment.— William Shakespeare
Impediment in speech, a defect which prevents distinct utterance.
Synonyms: Hindrance; obstruction; obstacle; difficulty; incumbrance. — Impediment, Obstacle, Difficulty, Hindrance. An impediment literally strikes against our feet, checking our progress, and we remove it. An obstacle rises before us in our path, and we surmount or remove it. A difficulty sets before us something hard to be done, and we encounter it and overcome it. A hindrance holds us back for a time, but we break away from it.
The eloquence of Demosthenes was to Philip of Macedon, a difficulty to be met with his best resources, an obstacle to his own ambition, and an impediment in his political career.— Charles John Smith
To impede. rare Bp. Edward Reynolds
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54