'impede' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'impedire', where 'in-' or 'im-' meant 'in/into' and 'ped-' (from 'pes') meant 'foot' (literally 'to shackle the feet').

'impede' changed from Latin 'impedire' (meaning to shackle the feet) and passed into Old French/Medieval Latin forms (e.g., 'empedier'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'impede'.

Initially, it meant 'to shackle the feet' (a literal physical restraint), but over time it evolved into the broader meaning 'to hinder, delay, or obstruct' in modern English.