'Impediment in speech' definitions:

Definition of 'Impediment in speech'

From: GCIDE
  • Impediment \Im*ped"i*ment\, n. [L. impedimentum: cf. F. impediment.] That which impedes or hinders progress, motion, activity, or effect. [1913 Webster]
  • Thus far into the bowels of the land Have we marched on without impediment. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • Impediment in speech, a defect which prevents distinct utterance.
  • Syn: Hindrance; obstruction; obstacle; difficulty; incumbrance.
  • Usage: Impediment, Obstacle, Difficulty, Hindrance. An impediment literally strikes against our feet, checking our progress, and we remove it. An obstacle rises before us in our path, and we surmount or remove it. A difficulty sets before us something hard to be done, and we encounter it and overcome it. A hindrance holds us back for a time, but we break away from it. [1913 Webster]
  • The eloquence of Demosthenes was to Philip of Macedon, a difficulty to be met with his best resources, an obstacle to his own ambition, and an impediment in his political career. --C. J. Smith. [1913 Webster]