empechier

Empechier is a historical or regional variant of the French verb empecher, meaning to hinder, obstruct, or prevent. In standard modern French, the common form is empecher; empechier is rarely seen outside old texts or dialectal writing.

Usage and meaning: The sense is the same as empecher: to prevent someone or something from performing an action, or to create an obstacle to a plan or event. Empechier appears in Middle French and in certain regional varieties, where spellings with -chier reflect older orthographic practices. In contemporary writing, it is generally restricted to quotations, philological work, or the study of historical texts.

Etymology: Empechier originates from the same root as empecher, derived from Latin impedire via Old French, with the prefix em-. The form with -chier reflects historical phonology and orthography prior to standardization in Modern French.

See also: empecher, impediment, hindrance, obstacle.