A restriction or impediment to someone's freedom of action. The new regulations were seen as a trammel on the company's ability to innovate.
A net for catching birds or fish. The fishermen used a trammel to catch a variety of fish in the shallow waters.
An instrument for drawing ellipses, consisting of a beam with two fixed points and a movable point. The architect used a trammel to accurately draw the elliptical arches for the building design.