hamper

hamper

English

A selection of wicker hampers.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈhæm.pə/

  • Audio (UK)

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhæm.pɚ/
• Rhymes: -æmpə(ɹ)

Etymology 1

From Middle English hamper, contracted from hanaper, hanypere, from Anglo-Norman hanaper, Old French hanapier, hanepier (“case for holding a large goblet or cup”), from hanap (“goblet, drinking cup”), from Frankish *hnapp (“cup, bowl, basin”), from Proto-Germanic *hnappaz (“cup, bowl”).

Cognate with Old High German hnapf (“cup, bowl, basin”) (German Napf (“bowl”)), Dutch nap (“cup”), Old English hnæpp (“bowl”). More at nap.

Alternative forms

• hampire (obsolete)

Noun

hamper (plural hampers)

1. A large basket, usually with a cover, used for the packing and carrying of articles or small animals

   a hamper of wine

   a clothes hamper

   an oyster hamper, which contains two bushels

2. (uncommon outside New England) A wicker or plastic basket specifically for holding laundry (from clothes hamper), as opposed to a covered wicker basket which is a true hamper
3. (UK) A gift basket.

Translations

large basket

Armenian: զամբյուղ (hy) (zambyuł), կողով (hy) (kołov) Bulgarian: кошница с капак f (košnica s kapak) Czech: koš (cs) m Dutch: korf (nl), mand (nl) m, pakmand (nl) m, sluitmand m, wasmand (nl) m Esperanto: korbo (eo) Finnish: kori (fi) French: panier d'osier m, bourriche (fr) f German: Korb (de) m Irish: ciseán (ga) m (for food, full of food and drink), ciseach f (for food), cis f (full of food and drink) Italian: cesta (it) f, cesto (it) m, canestro (it) m, paniere (it) m Maori: whakatomo, tokanga (for food), whirirua Portuguese: balaio (pt) m, seira (pt) f, canastra (pt) f Russian: корзи́на (ru) f (korzína) Spanish: cesto (es) m, cuévano (es) m, canasto (es) m Swedish: korg (sv) c

Verb

hamper (third-person singular simple present hampers, present participle hampering, simple past and past participle hampered)

1. (transitive) To put into a hamper.

   Competition pigeons are hampered for the truck trip to the point of release where the race back starts.

Translations

to put into a hamper

Dutch: inkorven (nl) Finnish: panna koriin Italian: ingabbiare (it), rinchiudere (it)

Etymology 2

From Middle English hamperen, hampren (“to hamper, oppress”), probably of the same origin as English hamble (“to limp”), Scots hamp (“to halt in walking, stutter”), Dutch haperen (“to falter, hesitate”), German hemmen (“to stop, hinder, check”). More at hamble.

Verb

hamper (third-person singular simple present hampers, present participle hampering, simple past and past participle hampered)

1. (transitive) To put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], OCLC 228727523:

     A lion hampered in a net.

   Synonyms: ensnare, inveigle

2. To impede in motion or progress.

   Synonyms: hinder, embarrass, encumber

   • 1712, Richard Blackmore, Creation: A Philosophical Poem:

     Engend'ring heats, these one by one unbind, Stretch their small tubes, and hamper'd nerves unwind.

   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, The Advantages of Religion:

     They hamper and entangle our souls.

   • 2020 April 8, Paul Stephen, “ECML dive-under drives divergence”, in Rail, page 44:

     NR Senior Programme Manager Adrian Elliott describes the progress to date: "The weather has played a big part in hampering the programme. We had the wettest autumn ever and a number of winter storms to contend with, [...]

Translations

to put a hamper or fetter on; to shackle; to ensnare; to inveigle

Bulgarian: препятствам (bg) (prepjatstvam), затруднявам (bg) (zatrudnjavam), преча (bg) (preča) Dutch: blokkeren (nl) Esperanto: malhelpi (eo) Estonian: takistama, segama Finnish: kahlita (fi), haitata (fi), vaikeuttaa (fi), estää (fi) French: entraver (fr) German: sich verstricken (figuratively), sich verheddern Hungarian: gátol (hu) Irish: bac a chur ar, srian a chur ar Italian: impedire (it), ostacolare (it), ostruire (it), bloccare (it), sbarrare (it), intralciare (it) Maori: whakakōroiroi, whakakōpekapeka, kaiwaenga Polish: ujarzmić pf, uwięzić (pl) pf, usidlić (pl) pf, spętać pf Portuguese: impedir (pt), estorvar (pt), obstruir (pt) Russian: затрудня́ть (ru) (zatrudnjátʹ) Spanish: estorbar (es), obstaculizar (es) Swedish: hindra (sv), hämma (sv)

to impede in motion or progress

Czech: překážet (cs) impf, bránit (cs) impf, vadit (cs) impf French: entraver (fr), empêcher (fr) German: aufhalten (de), behindern (de), hemmen (de) Gothic: 𐌼𐌰𐍂𐌶𐌾𐌰𐌽 (marzjan) Latin: impediō

Noun

hamper (plural hampers)

1. A shackle; a fetter; anything which impedes.
2. (nautical) Articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times.
   • 1847 March 30, Herman Melville, Omoo: A Narrative of Adventures in the South Seas; […], London: John Murray, […], OCLC 364546898:

     One afternoon there was a mighty queer noise aloft, which set the men running in every direction. It was the main-t'-gallant-mast. Crash! it broke off just above the cap, and held there by the rigging, dashed with every roll from side to side, with all the hamper that belonged to it.

Derived terms

• top-hamper (“unnecessary spars and rigging kept aloft”)

Translations

anything which impedes

Bulgarian: пречка (bg) f (prečka), препятствие (bg) n (prepjatstvie) Dutch: hindernis (nl), beletsel (nl) n, obstakel (nl) n, struikelblok (nl) n Finnish: este (fi), pidäke (fi) French: obstacle (fr) m German: Hindernis (de) n, Hemmnis (de) n, Hemmschuh (de) m (fig.) Italian: ostacolo (it) m, impedimento (it) m, ingombro (it) m Polish: przeszkoda (pl) f, zawada (pl) f

articles ordinarily indispensable, but in the way at certain times

Dutch: waarloos (nl) Irish: (please verify) amparán m Italian: ingombro di coperta m

Anagrams

• Perham

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Indonesian

Etymology

Borrowed from English hamper.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈhampər]
• Hyphenation: ham‧pêr

Noun

hamper (plural hamper-hamper, first-person possessive hamperku, second-person possessive hampermu, third-person possessive hampernya)

1. gift.

   Synonyms: paket, parsel

Further reading

• “hamper” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Language Development and Fostering Agency — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

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Old Swedish

Alternative forms

• hampa

Etymology

From Old Norse hampr, from Proto-Germanic *hanapiz.

Noun

hamper m

1. hemp

Declension

  Declension of hamper (strong a-stem)

masculine	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	hamper	hamprin	hampar	hampanir, hampaner
accusative	hamp	hampin	hampa	hampana
dative	hampi, hampe	hampinum, hampenom	hampum, hampom	hampumin, hampomen
genitive	hamps	hampsins	hampa	hampanna

Descendants

• Swedish: hampa

References

• hamper in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)
• hamper in Knut Fredrik Söderwall, Ordbok öfver svenska medeltids-språket, del 1: A-L