hobble

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
hobble/ˈhɒbl/

▶verb

• 1 walk awkwardly, typically because of pain.

  ■ cause to limp.

• 2 strap together the legs of (a horse) to prevent straying.

• 3 create difficulty for.

▶noun

• 1 an awkward way of walking.

• 2 a rope or strap for hobbling a horse.

– derivatives
hobbler noun.

– origin ME: prob. of Du. or Low Ger. origin and rel. to Du. hobbelen ‘rock from side to side’.