hidebound
UK: ˈhaɪdbaʊnd | US: ˈhaɪdbaʊnd
adj. 1. (of a person) stubbornly conservative or resistant to change; narrow-minded.
adj. 2. (of an animal, especially livestock) having skin tightly stretched over the ribs due to poor feeding or disease.
The term hidebound originally described livestock whose skin clung tightly to their bones due to malnutrition, making movement stiff and restricted. Over time, it evolved metaphorically to describe people who are rigid or inflexible in their thinking, as if mentally "bound by their skin." The word vividly captures physical and psychological constraint through its morphemes.
The hidebound professor refused to consider new teaching methods.
Farmers noticed the hidebound cattle needed better feed.
His hidebound attitudes made him unpopular in the progressive company.
The hidebound regulations stifled innovation in the industry.
Despite evidence, the hidebound committee rejected the proposal.