cord

American  

[kawrd] / kɔrd /

noun

1. a string or thin rope made of several strands braided, twisted, or woven together.

2. Electricity. a small, flexible, insulated cable.

3. a ribbed fabric, especially corduroy.

4. a cordlike rib on the surface of cloth.

5. any influence that binds or restrains.

   cord of marriage.

6. Anatomy. a cordlike structure.

   the spinal cord;

   umbilical cord.

7. a unit of volume used chiefly for fuel wood, now generally equal to 128 cu. ft. (3.6 cu. m), usually specified as 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet high (2.4 m × 1.2 m × 1.2 meters). cd, cd.

8. a hangman's rope.

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verb (used with object)

1. to bind or fasten with a cord or cords.

2. to pile or stack up (wood) in cords.

3. to furnish with a cord.

cord British  

/ kɔːd /

noun

1. string or thin rope made of several twisted strands

2. a length of woven or twisted strands of silk, etc, sewn on clothing or used as a belt

3. a ribbed fabric, esp corduroy

4. any influence that binds or restrains

5. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): flex.  a flexible insulated electric cable, used esp to connect appliances to mains

6. anatomy any part resembling a string or rope

   the spinal cord

7. a unit of volume for measuring cut wood, equal to 128 cubic feet

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verb

1. to bind or furnish with a cord or cords

2. to stack (wood) in cords

Other Word Forms

• corder noun
• cordlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of cord

1250–1300; Middle English coord ( e ) < Anglo-French, Old French corde < Latin chorda < Greek chordḗ gut; confused in part of its history with chord ¹

Example Sentences

A lot of emphasis had been placed on Djokovic's good fortune over the fortnight, but his luck ran out in the third game of the second set when a remarkable net cord helped Alcaraz break.

From BBC

Dylan needed a stem cell transplant and, after his parents were ruled out as donors, a suitable cord blood match was found.

From BBC

A pull of the cord sends the large box swiftly from the upstairs straight down to the belly of the kitchen.

From Literature

I look through the bottles on the counter, the cleaning supplies, and the mass of cords in the bottom of her closet.

From Literature

White matter consists of long axons of neurons that transmit impulses to more distant regions of the brain and spinal cord.

From BBC

Related Words

• fiber
• string
• twine