FETTER Meaning of FETTER in English ■ noun a chain or shackle placed around a prisoner's ankles. ↘a restraint or check. ■ verb restrain with ~s. ↘restrict: he was not ~ed by tradition. OriginOE feter , of Gmc origin. Concise Oxford English vocab. Сжатый оксфордский словарь английского языка. 2004