ENCUM'BER, verb transitive 1. To load; to clog; to impede motion with a load, burden or any thing inconvenient to the limbs; to render motion or operation difficult or laborious. 2. To embarrass; to perplex; to obstruct. 3. To load with debts; as, an estate is encumbered with mortgages, or with a widow's dower.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI