Obs. Forms: 4 encumbre, encumbir, 6 encombre, 7 encomber, encumber. Also 6 incomber, incumber. [a. OF. encombre = Pr. encombre, It. ingombro:—late L. incumbrum, f. incumbrāre: see ENCUMBER v.] The state of being encumbered; concr. an encumbrance, embarrassment, trouble, annoyance.
c. 1330. R. Brunne, Chron. (1810), 327. With many grete encumbre of in hard stoure.
1546. Gardiner, Decl. Artic. Joye, 43. Saynt Austen … auoydinge thencombre of these subtyll heretiques.
1557. North, trans. Gueuara’s Diall of Princes (1582), 422 b. Why they should suffer so many incombers, broiles, and troubles as they do.
a. 1618. Raleigh, To P. Henry, in Rem. (1661), 252. The greater [ship] is slow; unmaniable, and ever full of encumber.
c. 1630. Drumm. of Hawth., Poems, 10. Sleep … follow’d with a troope of golden Slumbers Thrust from my quiet Braine all base encumbers.
1642. Howell, For. Trav., v. (Arb.), 28. Too great a number of such Friends, is an encomber and may betray him.
