cramped1

[krampt] /kræmpt/
adjective
1.
affected with a cramp in a muscle or muscles.
Origin
1670-80; cramp1 + -ed3

cramped2

[krampt] /kræmpt/
adjective
1.
confined or severely limited in space:
cramped closets.
2.
  1. (of handwriting) with characters written small and crowded together.
  2. (of a style of writing) hard to understand; crabbed.
Origin
1670-80; cramp2 + -ed2
Related forms
crampedness, noun

cramp1

[kramp] /kræmp/
noun
1.
Often, cramps.
  1. a sudden, involuntary, spasmodic contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, especially of the extremities, sometimes with severe pain.
  2. a piercing pain in the abdomen.
  3. an intermittent, painful contraction of structures of a wall containing involuntary muscle, as in biliary colic or in the uterine contractions of menstruation or of labor.
2.
writer's cramp.
verb (used with object)
3.
to affect with or as if with a cramp.
Origin
1325-75; Middle English crampe < Old French < Germanic; cognate with Middle Dutch crampe, Old Saxon krampo, Old High German krampfo; derivative of adj. meaning narrow, constrained, bent; compare Old High German krampf, Old Norse krappr; akin to crimp

cramp2

[kramp] /kræmp/
noun
1.
cramp iron.
2.
a portable frame or tool with a movable part that can be screwed up to hold things together; clamp.
3.
anything that confines or restrains.
4.
a cramped state or part.
verb (used with object)
5.
to fasten or hold with a cramp.
6.
to confine narrowly; restrict; restrain; hamper.
7.
to turn (the front wheels of a motor vehicle) by means of the steering gear; steer.
adjective
8.
cramped2 .
Idioms
9.
cramp one's style, Informal. to prevent one from showing one's best abilities.
Origin
1375-1425; late Middle English crampe < Middle Dutch: hook. See cramp1
Related forms
crampingly, adverb
Examples from the web for cramped
  • Sixty walkways cross this empty space and connect the cramped exhibition areas.
  • Manacled and cramped into ghastly holds, many of the captives did not survive the voyage.
  • The cramped labs and office cubicles forced us to interact with each other and follow each others' progress.
  • There are infinitely more abused and cramped horses in the world than there are killer whales.
  • Much of the time he lived alone in a cramped, barren cage.
  • He has furnished his cramped office clubhouse-style, with sports paraphernalia and souvenirs.
  • Yet here he seemed to be at a loss as to what to do on the cramped, hemmed-in site.
  • What remains of their hair is as disheveled as their cramped offices.
  • He leads me to a cramped lab where a bubbling tank of liquid nitrogen spews a cold fog across the floor.
  • Amid the cramped bustle, doctors are pushing the boundaries of medicine.
British Dictionary definitions for cramped

cramped

/kræmpt/
adjective
1.
closed in; restricted
2.
(esp of handwriting) small and irregular; difficult to read

cramp1

/kræmp/
noun
1.
a painful involuntary contraction of a muscle, typically caused by overexertion, heat, or chill
2.
temporary partial paralysis of a muscle group: writer's cramp
3.
(usually pl in the US and Canada) severe abdominal pain
verb
4.
(transitive) to affect with or as if with a cramp
Word Origin
C14: from Old French crampe, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German krampho

cramp2

/kræmp/
noun
1.
Also called cramp iron. a strip of metal with its ends bent at right angles, used to bind masonry
2.
a device for holding pieces of wood while they are glued; clamp
3.
something that confines or restricts
4.
a confined state or position
verb (transitive)
5.
to secure or hold with a cramp
6.
to confine, hamper, or restrict
7.
(informal) cramp someone's style, to prevent a person from using his abilities or acting freely and confidently
Word Origin
C15: from Middle Dutch crampe cramp, hook, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German khramph bent; see cramp1
Word Origin and History for cramped

cramp

n.

"muscle contraction," late 14c., from Old French crampe, from a Frankish or other Germanic word (cf. Old High German krapmhe "cramp, spasm," related to kramph "bent, crooked"), from a Proto-Germanic root forming many words for "bent, crooked," including, via French, crampon. Writer's cramp is first attested 1842 as the name of a physical affliction of the hand, in reference to translations of German medical papers (Stromeyer); also known as scrivener's palsy.

"metal bar bent at both ends," early 15c., from Middle Dutch crampe or Middle Low German krampe, both from the same Proto-Germanic root that yielded cramp (n.1). Metaphoric sense of "something that confines or hinders" first recorded 1719.

v.

"to contract" (of muscles), early 15c., from cramp (n.1). Related: Cramped; cramping.

c.1400, "to bend or twist," from cramp (n.2). Later "compress forcibly" (1550s), and, figuratively, "to restrict" (1620s). Related: Cramped; cramping.

cramped in Medicine

cramp (krāmp)
n.

  1. A sudden, involuntary, spasmodic muscular contraction causing severe pain, often occurring in the leg or shoulder as the result of strain or chill.

  2. A temporary partial paralysis of habitually or excessively used muscles.

  3. cramps Spasmodic contractions of the uterus, such as those occurring during menstruation or labor, usually causing pain in the abdomen that may radiate to the lower back and thighs.

v. cramped, cramp·ing, cramps
To affect with or experience a cramp or cramps.