tether
English · Thesaurus
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tether¹
- /ˈtɛðə/ UK
- /ˈtɛðəɹ/ US
Rhymes with -ɛðə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English tether, teder, from Old English *tēoder and/or Old Norse tjóðr ( > Danish tøjr, Swedish tjuder); both from Proto-Germanic *teudrą (“rope; cord; shaft”), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *dewtro-, from Proto-Indo-European *dew- (“to tie”), or from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull”). Cognate with North German Tüder (“tether for binding the cattle”), Swedish tjuder (“tether for binding cattle”).
noun tethers · tedder
- A rope, cable etc. that holds something in place whilst allowing some movement. With the bulky, heavy helmet for the film strapped on, I was inside a fully immersive virtual world. With de la Peña playing minder and holding a tether which prevented me from bumping into walls, I somehow ended up inside the news story.
- The limit of one's abilities, resources, patience, etc. Since his hours have increased, I feel that he is at the end of his tether.
- An attachment to a place, time, entity or person. Despite moving, he maintained a strong tether to his culture back home.
- A strong rope or line that connects a sailor's safety harness to the boat's jackstay.
Similar: hobble
verb tethers · tethering · tethered · tedder
- To restrict with, or as if with, a tether. The cowboy tethered his horse outside the saloon.
- To connect to something else. The younger Targaryen feels as though she’s lost any intimacy that tethered her to compassion and humanity, and so all that remains is the imperious need to rule that has driven her all these years, now bereft of the warmth that previously tempered her.
- To connect (a smartphone) to a personal computer in order to give the computer access to the phone's Internet connection.
tether²
number
- Alternative form of tethera
Thesaurus
noun
Similar: hobble
Translations
Every language
noun rope, cable etc. that holds something in place whilst allowing some movement
| Español | soga, dogal, ronzal, atadura, atadijo, atadero |
|---|---|
| Português | amarra, peia |
| Français | longe |
| Deutsch | Strick, Haltegurt, Spannseil, Leine, Schnur, Schnürung |
| Italiano | cavezza, guinzaglio, briglia, redine |
| Русский | при́вязь prívjazʹ, страхо́вочная верёвка straxóvočnaja verjóvka |
noun limit of one's abilities, resources etc
| Deutsch | Limit, Grenze, Ende |
|---|---|
| Italiano | portata, campo |
| Русский | преде́л predél, грани́ца graníca |
verb to restrict something with or as if with a tether
| Español | amarrar, acordonar, atar, apersogar, atortolar |
|---|---|
| Português | amarrar |
| Français | attacher |
| Deutsch | anbinden, festmachen, beschränken, anleinen |
| Italiano | imbrigliare, incatenare, tenere al guinzaglio |
| Русский | привяза́ть privjazátʹ, привя́зывать privjázyvatʹ |
Talk about this word "tether." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/tether. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. tether. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/tether "tether." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/tether.Cite this
@misc{tether_2026,
title = {tether},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/tether},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
