Metal chains or shackles put on a prisoner's ankles or wrists to prevent escape, or anything that restricts freedom.
From Old English 'feter' and Old Norse 'fetill,' both meaning chain or shackle. The word ultimately derives from Proto-Germanic roots meaning 'to bind.' The meaning expanded metaphorically to include any restraint on freedom or action.
The word appears 40+ times in Shakespeare—when something 'fetters' you today, you're using the same metaphor Shakespeare used to describe emotional chains! Language often borrows from physical restraints to describe invisible limitations.
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