About
The character 絷 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic radical 糸 (silk, thread) at the bottom and the phonetic component 执 at the top. Its traditional form, 縶, uses the unsimplified phonetic 執 above the silk radical. The character means to tie up, bind securely, or tether an animal, a sense derived from the binding function of cords implied by the radical. It frequently appears in historical texts referring to the shackling of prisoners or the tethering of horses.
Etymology Hide
