girdle

[ gur-dl ]

/ ˈgɜr dl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR girdle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a lightweight undergarment, worn especially by women, often partly or entirely of elastic or boned, for supporting and giving a slimmer appearance to the abdomen, hips, and buttocks.

a belt, cord, sash, or the like, worn about the waist.

anything that encircles, confines, or limits.

Jewelry. the edge or narrow band between the upper and lower facets of a gem.

Anatomy. the bony framework that unites the upper or lower extremities to the axial skeleton.

Architecture. an ornamental band, especially one surrounding the shaft of a column.

a ring made about a tree trunk, branch, etc., by removing a band of bark.

verb (used with object), gir·dled, gir·dling.

to encircle with a belt; gird.

to encompass; enclose; encircle.

to move around (something or someone) in a circle.

to cut away the bark and cambium in a ring around (a tree, branch, etc.).

Jewelry. round¹(def 49).

Origin of girdle

before 1000; Middle English; Old English gyrdel, derivative of girdan to gird¹

SYNONYMS FOR girdle

3 belt, circle, ring, band, hedge.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR girdle ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM girdle

gir·dle·like, adjective gir·dling·ly, adverb un·gir·dle, verb (used with object), un·gir·dled, un·gir·dling.

Words nearby girdle

giraud, giraudoux, gird, gird one's loins, girder, girdle, girdle anesthesia, girdle sensation, girdle traverse, girdle-tailed lizard, girdler

Example sentences from the Web for girdle

Regarding only what is below the girdle,” he added, “it is impossible…to know an old from a young one.

What the Sex Lives of the Founding Fathers Reveal About Us |Eric Herschthal |February 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“A source says Brad has been sporting a girdle to control his pudgy midsection recently,” the magazine wrote.

Brad Pitt Might Wear Man Spanx; Lena Dunham Doesn't Want a Victoria's Secret Model Body |The Fashion Beast Team |March 15, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Cestus, ses′tus, n. the girdle of Venus, which had power to awaken love: an ancient boxing-glove loaded with lead or iron.

Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) |Various
The jar is made to rest upon the girdle of the bearer, while she supports it upon her back by one or both of the handles.

Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, October, 1877, Vol. XX. No. 118 |Various

Phanes then put on the stranger's trousers, coat and girdle; on his own curls he placed the pointed Persian cap.

An Egyptian Princess, Complete |Georg Ebers
Vainly groping for the interpretation, he could not discover what the Seven and the Girdle meant.

The Legend of Ulenspiegel |Charles de Coster
Under some conditions it signifies thieving, which probably refers to the theft of the girdle.

Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards |Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)

girdle ¹

/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /

noun

a woman's elastic corset covering the waist to the thigh

anything that surrounds or encircles

a belt or sash

jewellery the outer edge of a gem

anatomy any encircling structure or part See pectoral girdle, pelvic girdle

the mark left on a tree trunk after the removal of a ring of bark

verb (tr)

to put a girdle on or around

to surround or encircle

to remove a ring of bark from (a tree or branch), thus causing it to die

Derived forms of girdle

girdle-like, adjective

Word Origin for girdle

Old English gyrdel, of Germanic origin; related to Old Norse gyrthill, Old Frisian gerdel, Old High German gurtila; see gird 1

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (2 of 2)

girdle ²

/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /

noun

Scot and Northern English dialect another word for griddle

Medical definitions for girdle

girdle

[ gûr′dl ]

n.

Something that encircles like a belt.

An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips.

The pelvic or pectoral girdle.

Scientific definitions for girdle

girdle

[ gûr′dl ]

To kill a tree or woody shrub by removing or destroying a band of bark and cambium from its circumference. The plants die because the distribution of food down from the leaves (through the phloem) and sometimes the flow of water and nutrients up from the roots (through the xylem) is disrupted, and the cambium can no longer regenerate these vascular tissues to repair the damage. Unwanted trees, such as invasive or nonnative species, are often eliminated by girdling. Some plant diseases kill trees by destroying a ring of cambium and so girdling them. Gnawing animals, especially rodents, can also girdle trees.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

girdle

noun

verb (used with object), gir·dled, gir·dling.

Origin of girdle

SYNONYMS FOR girdle

OTHER WORDS FROM girdle

Words nearby girdle

Example sentences from the Web for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of girdle

Word Origin for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (2 of 2)

noun

Medical definitions for girdle

n.

Scientific definitions for girdle

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

girdle

noun

verb (used with object), gir·dled, gir·dling.

Origin of girdle

SYNONYMS FOR girdle

OTHER WORDS FROM girdle

Words nearby girdle

Words related to girdle

Example sentences from the Web for girdle

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of girdle

Word Origin for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (2 of 2)

noun

Medical definitions for girdle

n.

Scientific definitions for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)