Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - trammel

 I. noun  Etymology: Middle English tramayle, a kind of net, from Old French tramail, from Late Latin tremaculum, from Latin tres three + macula mesh, spot — more at three  Date: 14th century  1. a net for catching birds or fish; especially one having three layers with the middle one finer-meshed and slack so that fish passing through carry some of the center net through the coarser opposite net and are trapped  2. an adjustable pothook for a fireplace crane  3. a shackle used for making a horse amble  4. something impeding activity, progress, or freedom ; restraint — usually used in plural  5.  a. an instrument for drawing ellipses  b. a compass for drawing large circles that consists of a beam with two sliding parts — usually used in plural  c. any of various gauges used for aligning or adjusting machine parts  II. transitive verb  (-meled or -melled; -meling or ~ling)  Date: circa 1606  1. to catch or hold in or as if in a net ; enmesh  2. to prevent or impede the free play of ; confine  Synonyms: see hamper