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 girdling

Pan Am was once an imperial power in its own right, girdling the globe.

Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana! |Clive Irving |December 18, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
When summer comes, adult beetles attack and larva feed in the cambium layer, girdling the trees and sealing their doom.

What It Takes to Kill a Grizzly Bear |Doug Peacock |November 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
If girdling results at the top, it is not objectionable as the head of the vine should be below rather than above the wire.

Manual of American Grape-Growing |U. P. Hedrick
Look where you will, immeasurable Obscurantism is girdling this fair France; which, again, will not be girdled by it.

The French Revolution |Thomas Carlyle

Another common disease is known as the root disease, which eventually kills the tree by girdling it below the soil.

All About Coffee |William H. Ukers
There is a great saddling and girdling, neighing and stamping.

Life on a Mediaeval Barony |William Stearns Davis
Trees, too large to be cut with their stone hatchets, were killed either by building a fire at the base or by girdling the bark.

Agriculture in Virginia, 1607-1699 |Lyman Carrier

British Dictionary definitions for girdling (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 girdling (2 of 2)

girdle ²

/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /

noun

Scot and Northern English dialect another word for griddle

Medical definitions for girdling

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 girdling

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 girdling

British Dictionary definitions for girdling (1 of 2)

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of girdle

Word Origin for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdling (2 of 2)

noun

Medical definitions for girdling

n.

Scientific definitions for girdling

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 girdling

Example sentences from the Web for girdling

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

noun

verb (tr)

Derived forms of girdle

Word Origin for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdling (2 of 2)

noun

Medical definitions for girdling

n.

Scientific definitions for girdling

British Dictionary definitions for girdling (1 of 2)