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A retarding; hindrance; obstacle; impediment; delay; -- common in the phrase without let or hindrance, but elsewhere archaic. Keats. Consider whether your doings be to the let of your salvation or not. Latimer.

Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift. Unmarried men are best friends, best masters . . . but not always best subjects, for they are light to run away. Bacon.

eman; a lad, or small boy. Where there are little masters and misses in a house, they are impediments to the diversions of the servants. Swift.

oman as husband and wife; the nuptial state; marriage; wedlock. If either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in matrimony, ye do now confessit. Book of Com. Prayer (Eng. Ed. )

night thereto object, Whose loss so great and harmful can not prove. Fairfax. Some strong impediment or other objecting itself. Hooker. Pallas to their eyes The mist objected, and condensed the skies. Pope.

presented in opposition; an adverse reason or argument; a reason for objecting; obstacle; impediment; as, I have no objection to going; unreasonable objections. "Objections against every truth." Tyndale.

Opposition; impediment; obstruction. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

stop up or close, as a way or passage; to place an obstacle in, or fill with obstacles or impediments that prevent or hinder passing; as, to obstruct a street; to obstruct the channels of the body. 'T is the obstructed paths of sound shall clear. Pope.

That which obstructs or impedes; an obstacle; an impediment; a hindrance. A popular assembly free from obstruction. Swift.

Tending to obstruct; presenting obstacles; hindering; causing impediment. -- Ob*struct"ive*ly, adv.

To hinder or stop, as by an overslaugh or an impediment; as, to overslaugh a bill in a legislative body; to overslaugh a military officer, that is, to hinder his promotion or employment. [Local Cant, U. S.]

bs; that which tends to hinder or obstruct motion or progress; hindrance; obstruction, an impediment; especially, a difficulty or obstruction hard to overcome; a pinch. Every rub is smoothed on our way. Shak. To sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub. Shak. Upon this rub, the English ambassadors thought fit to…

A notification by a candidate for orders of his intention to inquire whether any impediment may be alleged against him.

That which stops, impedes, or obstructs; as obstacle; an impediment; an obstruction. A fatal stop traversed their headlong course. Daniel. So melancholy a prospect should inspire us with zeal to oppose some stop to the rising torrent. Rogers.

Destitute of the power of distinct articulation; having an impediment in the speech, esp. when caused by a short frænum.