Restricted, hindered, or prevented from moving or progressing freely; past tense of hamper.
From hamper (origin uncertain, possibly from Middle English hampren or Old Norse hamra, meaning to cramp or confine) + -ed (past tense suffix). The sense of 'restrict' emerged in the 1600s.
The verb 'hamper' has a mysteriously obscure origin—we use it constantly ('hampered by regulations,' 'hampered by injury') but linguists still debate whether it comes from cramped space or from some lost Old Norse root, showing that some everyday words have surprisingly murky histories.
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