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Glite Dictionary
Zimmer frame

Zimmer frame

6.5
A metal frame with handles that helps people walk and keep their balance
  • noun
  • /ˈzɪmə freɪm/
  • UK
translation icon : andador
  • Post-operatively, patients were allowed weight-bearing mobilization as pain permitted, with the help of a Zimmer frame to begin with, followed by crutches.

Fucking doughnut gets up, gets pissed to me, and he walks over in his Zimmer frame.

Examples

  • The Zimmer frame is in the corner, honey.

    Shooting Fish (1997)

  • No, It's a Zimmer frame, if anything.

  • After her surgery, she used a Zimmer frame to help her walk safely around the house.

  • He carefully pushed his Zimmer frame to navigate across the park without losing his balance.

  • The therapist recommended using a Zimmer frame for better support during his recovery process.

Synonyms

walker
vsZimmer frame
  • US
26 2.3

A frame with wheels that helps a baby or an older person move

is mainly for keeping balance rather than general movement support
Zimmer
vsZimmer frame
  • UK
1 9.9

A light frame with small wheels and handles that helps older or disabled people walk

is a metal aid focused on balance sometimes with rubber stoppers

How Supportive

wheelchair
357 1.4
Zimmer frame
  • UK
6.5
cane
80 1.0

Surface Forms

Zimmer frame singular
Zimmer frames plural

Morphology

Zimmer + frame

The noun 'frame' is semantically transparent but the modifier 'Zimmer' is an eponym/brand name (not a productive English lexical element) and does not by itself indicate a walking aid to learners. Because the overall meaning ('walking frame/walker') cannot be compositionally predicted from knowing ordinary senses of the parts, this is opaque and requires lexicalized knowledge of the term.

Etymology

Zimmer frame may come from a company in Germany called Zimmer that made metal walking frames. People began using the company name for any similar frame, so today it means 'a metal frame that helps someone walk'.