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Added 9 October 2026

impede

/ɪmˈpiːd/ verb

In Latin: impediō Wiktionary

verb Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about impede at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Be a hindrance or obstacle to.
She is impeding the progress of our project
Block passage through.
obstruct the path

Origin

Borrowed from Latin impediō (“to shackle”), from pēs (“foot”) (compare pedestrian). First attested use as a verb was in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, see quotations.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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