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Girdle

//ˈɡɝdl̩// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    That which girds, encircles, or encloses; a circumference.

    "the girdle of the world"

  2. 2
    Alternative form of griddle. Northern-English, Scotland, alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    a woman's close-fitting foundation garment wordnet
  4. 4
    A belt or sash at the waist, often used to support stockings or hosiery.

    "And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles"

  5. 5
    a band of material around the waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    A garment used to hold the abdomen, hips, buttocks, and/or thighs in a particular shape.
  2. 7
    an encircling or ringlike structure wordnet
  3. 8
    The line of greatest circumference of a brilliant-cut diamond, at which it is grasped by the setting.
  4. 9
    A thin bed or stratum of stone.
  5. 10
    The clitellum of an earthworm.
  6. 11
    The removal or inversion of a ring of bark in order to kill or stunt a tree.
Verb
  1. 1
    To gird, encircle, or constrain by such means. transitive

    "The Equator, as everyone knows, is an imaginary line or circle girdling the Earth half-way between the North and South poles."

  2. 2
    put a girdle on or around wordnet
  3. 3
    To kill or stunt a tree by removing or inverting a ring of bark. transitive

    "The ordinary large reddish "hen hawks," which circle high above meadows, are doing great good to the farmer by feeding upon the mice and other creatures which steal his grain and girdle his trees."

  4. 4
    cut a girdle around so as to kill by interrupting the circulation of water and nutrients wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English girdel, gerdel, gurdel, from Old English gyrdel, from Proto-West Germanic *gurdil, from Proto-Germanic *gurdilaz (“girdle, belt”), equivalent to gird + -le. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Gäddel (“belt”), West Frisian gurdle, gurle, gurl (“belt”), Dutch gordel (“belt”), German Gürtel (“belt”), Yiddish גאַרטל (gartl, “belt”) (whence gartel, a doublet of girdle), Swedish gördel (“girdle”), Icelandic gyrðill (“girdle”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English girdel, gerdel, gurdel, from Old English gyrdel, from Proto-West Germanic *gurdil, from Proto-Germanic *gurdilaz (“girdle, belt”), equivalent to gird + -le. Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian Gäddel (“belt”), West Frisian gurdle, gurle, gurl (“belt”), Dutch gordel (“belt”), German Gürtel (“belt”), Yiddish גאַרטל (gartl, “belt”) (whence gartel, a doublet of girdle), Swedish gördel (“girdle”), Icelandic gyrðill (“girdle”).

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