Library / English Dictionary

CRAMP

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A strip of metal with ends bent at right angles; used to hold masonry together

Synonyms:

cramp; cramp iron

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("cramp" is a kind of...):

slip; strip (artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material)

Derivation:

cramp (secure with a cramp)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A clamp for holding pieces of wood together while they are glued

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("cramp" is a kind of...):

clamp; clinch (a device (generally used by carpenters) that holds things firmly together)

Derivation:

cramp (secure with a cramp)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A painful and involuntary muscular contraction

Synonyms:

cramp; muscle spasm; spasm

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("cramp" is a kind of...):

symptom ((medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cramp"):

charley-horse; charley horse (a muscular cramp (especially in the thigh or calf) following vigorous exercise)

graphospasm; writer's cramp (muscular spasms of thumb and forefinger while writing with a pen or pencil)

blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelid muscle resulting in closure of the eye)

crick; kink; rick; wrick (a painful muscle spasm especially in the neck or back ('rick' and 'wrick' are British))

myoclonus (a clonic spasm of a muscle or muscle group)

opisthotonos (severe spasm in which the back arches and the head bends back and heels flex toward the back)

twitch; twitching; vellication (a sudden muscle spasm; especially one caused by a nervous condition)

tenesmus (painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent desire to defecate without the significant production of feces; associated with irritable bowel syndrome)

trismus (prolonged spasm of the jaw muscles)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Suffer from sudden painful contraction of a muscle

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "cramp" is one way to...):

get; have; suffer; sustain (undergo (as of injuries and illnesses))

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 2

Meaning:

Affect with or as if with a cramp

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "cramp" is one way to...):

affect (act physically on; have an effect upon)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s somebody

Sense 3

Meaning:

Prevent the progress or free movement of

Example:

the imperialist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries

Synonyms:

cramp; halter; hamper; strangle

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "cramp" is one way to...):

bound; confine; limit; restrict; throttle; trammel (place limits on (extent or amount or access))

Sentence frames:

Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 4

Meaning:

Secure with a cramp

Example:

cramp the wood

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "cramp" is one way to...):

fasten; fix; secure (cause to be firmly attached)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

cramp (a strip of metal with ends bent at right angles; used to hold masonry together)

cramp (a clamp for holding pieces of wood together while they are glued)

Credits

 Context examples: 

It results in myalgias, muscle cramping and stiffness, and exercise intolerance.

(Glycogen Storage Disease Type V, NCI Thesaurus)

It is characterized by muscle stiffness, hypertrophy, pain, and cramping.

(Myotonia Congenita, NCI Thesaurus)

The weakness can lead to twitching, cramps, aches and pains, and joint and movement problems.

(Neuromuscular Disorders, NIH)

Patient Health Questionnaire - 15 (PHQ-15) Menstrual cramps or other problems with your periods [Women only].

(PHQ-15 - Menstrual Cramp or Other Problems with Your Periods, NCI Thesaurus)

Takes you as cramp, I fancy.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A sudden contraction of a muscle or group of muscles, such as a cramp.

(Muscle Spasm, NCI Dictionary)

Muscle cramps can be caused by nerves that malfunction.

(Muscle Cramps, NIH)

A question about whether an individual has or had joint pain or muscle cramps.

(Have Joint Pain or Muscle Cramps, NCI Thesaurus)

Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) History; do you get muscle cramps in your legs and/or feet?

(MNSI - Muscle Cramps Legs/Feet, NCI Thesaurus)

Cramps commonly occur in the abdomen and legs.

(Cramp, NCI Dictionary)