mortmain
- noun
- /ˈmɔrtˌmeɪn/
- Archaic
:
mortaja
- The committee decided to break free from the mortmain of previous decisions that were no longer relevant.
Examples
-
He felt trapped by the mortmain of outdated traditions that dictated his every move.
-
Maybe what she came to in the end was the impossibility of what she wanted; or maybe she broke through, maybe she understood it all, and saw there was no reason to live under the spell of the mortmain of flesh for even one more day.
Fiction book (1994) -
Toward the last few pages, I sense a creepy mortmain, as if my father's hand is folded over his, guiding the pen across the page, line by line, word by word.
Fiction book (1994) -
Many people struggle against the mortmain of their past choices, which can weigh heavily on their future.
Synonyms
A past rule or tradition that still controls and prevents change
A continuing influence from the past that holds back change
Antonyms
How Controlling
Surface Forms
Etymology
Mortmain comes from old French words mort 'dead' and main 'hand', so it literally means 'dead hand'. A helpful image is a hand that holds on and will not let go, so mortmain now means a fixed, stifling influence that stops change.