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hobble (v.)

c. 1300, hoblen "to rock back and forth, toss up and down," probably from or cognate with dialectal German hoppeln, Dutch hobbelen "toss, ride on a hobby-horse; stutter, stammer" (which, however, is not recorded before late 15c.). Or perhaps a variant frequentative of hop (v.).

Meaning "to walk lamely" is from c. 1400. Transitive sense of "tie the legs (of an animal)" to impede or prevent free motion first recorded 1831, probably an alteration of 16c. hopple, cognate with Flemish hoppelen "to rock, jump," which also is related to Dutch hobbelen. Sense of "hamper, hinder" is c. 1870. Related: Hobbled; hobbling.

hobble (n.)

1727, "a hobbling gait," from hobble (v.). From 1775 as "something that hobbles."

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Definitions of hobble from WordNet
1
hobble (v.)
walk impeded by some physical limitation or injury;
The old woman hobbles down to the store every day
Synonyms: limp / gimp / hitch
hobble (v.)
hamper the action or progress of;
The chairman was hobbled by the all-powerful dean
hobble (v.)
strap the foreleg and hind leg together on each side (of a horse) in order to keep the legs on the same side moving in unison;
hobble race horses
Synonyms: hopple
2
hobble (n.)
a shackle for the ankles or feet;
Synonyms: fetter
hobble (n.)
the uneven manner of walking that results from an injured leg;
Synonyms: hitch / limp
From wordnet.princeton.edu