Meanings
adjectivedown-gyved (not comparable)
alternative downgyved
- not comparableobsoletepoeticHanging down, like gyves or fetters.
his stockings fouled, / Ungartered and down-gyved to his ankle,
c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], line 77
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From down (“from a higher position to a lower one”) + gyved (“to shackle, fetter, chain”). A Shakespearan coinage.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
down-gyved. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down-gyved
MLA
“down-gyved.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down-gyved. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “down-gyved,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/down-gyved.
Source: down-gyved on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.