The word manacle, meaning "handcuff," derives from the Latin word for "hand, or power," manus.

Manus is one of those Latin words that it really pays to know! I might even put it in the top five.

It's everywhere in English, in words like manual, mandate, maintain, manage, manicure, manuscript, manipulate, maneuver, and manufacture, all of which, as you can see, have something to do with hands, or more figuratively, work or power or control.

Manus also pops up in these terms that we've explored:

1. Literally "to release from the hand," to man___t people is to set them free.

2. Literally "to take out from the hand," to eman___ate people also means to set them free.

3. Literally "something so clear that it could be grabbed by the hands," a man_f___o is a written declaration of intent or belief, often a spirited, impassioned one.

4. Literally "light of hand," le___d_main is magic tricks, or skillful trickery in general.

(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)  

(Source)

"Manacle" traces back through an Old French word for "handcuffs" to the Latin manicula, which meant "handle," or more literally, "little hand." From there it goes further back to the Latin manus, meaning "hand" (and sometimes, "power").

In English, since the 1300s, we've used the word "manacles" to mean "handcuffs: shackles or fetters for the hands," as in "The thieves wore manacles."

 And "manacle" has been a verb for just as long, meaning "to place in handcuffs," as in "The officers manacled the thieves."

In a figurative sense, manacles are things that restrain or limit people, as if they can't freely use their hands; and to manacle people is to put restraints or limits on them, as if they can't freely use their hands.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Often a noun, the countable kind: "They placed manacles on her."

Also a verb, the transitive kind: "They manacled her."

Other forms: 

The plural noun is "manacles."

And the other verb forms are "manacled" and "manacling."

If you need an adjective, "manacled" might do: "Perry frowns, rubs his knees with his manacled hands" (Truman Capote).

how to use it:

When you want to sound formal and serious, instead of picking a more common word like "handcuff" or "chain," pick "manacle."

You might talk literally or figuratively about manacled people or their manacled hands.

Or you might talk figuratively about the manacles of winter, the manacles of student loan debt, the manacles of a dictatorship, etc.

Or, you might talk about people manacling one thing to another: "We were paid by the hour, manacled to the time clock." "He's still manacled to that impossible goal." "She's manacled to that outdated tradition." Here's the Guardian: "Where is their evidence that manacling our language to past usage is at all helpful or necessary?"

examples:

"The manacles are off, but he's still constantly accompanied by a pair of guards." 
  — Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay, 2010

"Steven Spielberg, fantast supreme, always felt manacled by movie reality. Simple live action cramped his dreamy style; the cool, superkid things he envisioned demanded techniques beyond Hollywood naturalism." 
   — Richard Corliss, Time, 21 December 2011

has this page helped you understand "manacle"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this term, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "manacle" without saying "bond" or "pinion."

try it out:

In the Washington Post, Michael Dirda traced the origins of the Aladdin story, noting how universal its themes are:

"The two Aladdin films emphasize the paramount human need for freedom. Jasmine, especially in the live-action movie, could be any accomplished modern woman facing a glass ceiling. Aladdin feels trapped by his poverty, denied happiness and love because of class barriers. The genie is literally the slave of the lamp, his power bracelets actually manacles keeping him obedient to an endless round of masters."

With these characters as mind as examples, think of another story, movie, or book, and describe which characters seem to be manacled to something.

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Idiom Savant."

Flex your facility with familiar phrases by quickly pairing them off with words closely associated in meaning.

For example, you might pair the idiom "a cat has nine lives" with the word "resilient;" "water under the bridge" with "inconsequential;" and "when it rains, it pours" with "proliferate."

Try these today:

Pair these idioms...

   1. an ace up your sleeve
   2. a tough nut to crack
   3. a win-win deal
   4. bigger fish to fry
   5. every man for himself

With these words...

   A. bootstrap
   B. hydra
   C. paramount
   D. reciprocal
   E. talisman

To see the answers, scroll all the way down. 

review this word:

1. The precise opposite of MANACLE is UNMANACLE, meaning

A. FREE.
B. COMMIT.
C. EXPRESS.

2. According to a book review, Elizabeth Strout tells stories about family "bonds that can sometimes feel like manacles:" that is, bonds that feel like _____.

A. loose teeth
B. imprisonment
C. dissolving ocean waves

Answers to the review questions: 1. A 2. B From the game:    1. an ace up your sleeve: talisman    2. a tough nut to crack: hydra    3. a win-win deal: reciprocal    4. bigger fish to fry: paramount    5. every man for himself: bootstrap Are your answers different? No worries, as long as you can explain the connections you see.

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.