Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - clog

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English ~ge short thick piece of wood  Date: 14th century  1.  a. a weight attached especially to an animal to hinder motion  b. something that shackles or impedes ; encumbrance 1  2. a shoe, sandal, or overshoe having a thick typically wooden sole  II. verb  (~ged; ~ging)  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1.  a. to impede with a ~ ; hinder  b. to halt or retard the progress, operation, or growth of ; encumber restraints that have been ~ging the market — T. W. Arnold  2.  a. to fill beyond capacity ; overload cars ~ged the main street — often used with up petty cases ~ging up the courts  b. to cause blockage in — often used with up arteries ~ged up by cholesterol  intransitive verb  1. to become filled with extraneous matter — often used with up  2. to unite in a mass ; clot  3. to dance a ~ dance  Synonyms: see hamper  • ~ger noun