I. ˈkramp noun
Etymology: Middle English crampe, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch crampe; akin to Old High German krampf bent
Date: 14th century
1. : a painful involuntary spasmodic contraction of a muscle
2. : a temporary paralysis of muscles from overuse — compare writer's cramp
3.
a. : sharp abdominal pain — usually used in plural
b. : persistent and often intense though dull lower abdominal pain associated with dysmenorrhea — usually used in plural
• crampy ˈkram-pē adjective
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English crampe, from Middle Dutch
Date: 15th century
1.
a. : a usually iron device bent at the ends and used to hold timbers or blocks of stone together
b. : clamp
2.
a. : something that confines : shackle
b. : the state of being confined
III. verb
Date: 15th century
transitive verb
1. : to affect with or as if with a cramp or cramps
2.
a. : confine , restrain
was cramp ed in the tiny apartment
b. : to restrain from free expression — used especially in the phrase cramp one's style
3. : to fasten or hold with a cramp
intransitive verb
: to be affected with cramps
IV. adjective
Date: 1674
1. : hard to understand or figure out
cramp law terms
cramp handwriting
2. : being cramped
a cramp corner