CRAMP
What does "CRAMP" mean?
A sudden, painful involuntary contraction of a muscle.
Meanings
- A painful tightening of a muscle that you cannot immediately relax. A cramp seized her calf in the middle of the night.
- To affect with a cramp. His hand cramped after hours of writing.
- To restrict, confine, or hinder something. Tight rules cramped the team's creativity.
Did you know?
- The idiom 'cramp someone's style' - meaning to limit their freedom - dates to the early 20th century and treats restriction like a muscle that won't extend.
Word origin
From Middle Dutch or Middle Low German 'crampe' (a bent or hooked thing, a muscle spasm), related to the idea of bending or contracting; the 'confine' sense links to a metal cramp used to clamp things together.
Remember it
CRAMP cramps itself - five letters jammed tight with no room to stretch, just like the muscle.
A little poem
Mid-step the leg locks-
the body's blunt reminder
it was never yours.
haiku
Wordplay
- My roommate hates when I exercise in the living room. He says I really cramp his space.
What it teaches
Too little room locks up a muscle or a life alike; growth needs slack to move into.
Quick facts
What does CRAMP mean?
A sudden, painful involuntary contraction of a muscle.
Is CRAMP a valid word?
Yes — CRAMP is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is CRAMP?
CRAMP has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does CRAMP come from?
From Middle Dutch or Middle Low German 'crampe' (a bent or hooked thing, a muscle spasm), related to the idea of bending or contracting; the 'confine' sense links to a metal cramp used to clamp things together.
What can CRAMP teach us?
Too little room locks up a muscle or a life alike; growth needs slack to move into.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.