girdle

(gʉrd′'l)

noun

Archaic a belt or sash for the waist
anything that surrounds or encircles
☆ a woman's elasticized undergarment for supporting or molding the waist and hips
the rim of a cut gem
☆ a ring made by removing bark around the trunk of a tree, so as to kill it
Anat. a bony arch or encircling structure supporting the limbs: the pelvic girdle

Origin: ME girdil < OE gyrdel < base of gyrdan (see gird): akin to Ger gürtel

transitive verb girdled, girdling

See girdle in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

a. A belt or sash worn around the waist.
b. Something that encircles like a belt.
c. An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips, especially by women, to give the body a more slender appearance.
A band made around the trunk of a tree by the removal of a strip of bark.
The edge of a cut gem held by the setting.
Anatomy The pelvic or pectoral girdle.

transitive verb gir·dled, gir·dling, gir·dles

To encircle with or as if with a belt. See Synonyms at surround.
To circle around: a ring of hills that girdled the city.
To remove a band of bark and cambium from the circumference of (a tree), usually in order to kill it.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English girdel

Origin: , from Old English gyrdel; see gher-¹ in Indo-European roots

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