girdle
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.
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
1Other words for girdle
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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use girdle in a sentence
Once a girdle was removed or lowered, it was almost impossible to get it back on, and many women remembered having to “hold on” until they got home.
If you love your workout gear, thank the girdles and Flexatards of the past | Danielle Friedman | February 15, 2022 | Popular-ScienceThis was the case even if the wearer was of normal weight or even thin, because to be effective the rubberized girdle had to fit very tightly, and fastening it up was awkward.
If you love your workout gear, thank the girdles and Flexatards of the past | Danielle Friedman | February 15, 2022 | Popular-ScienceShe gives him an exact replica of the girdle from his mother that the scavenger stole in the woods, to his mystification and wonder, and promises it will keep him safe.
The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let’s untangle it. | Alissa Wilkinson | July 30, 2021 | VoxAs opposing armies pound down the doors of the castle, Gawain quietly removes his girdle, and his head falls off.
The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let’s untangle it. | Alissa Wilkinson | July 30, 2021 | VoxOne of the gifts the lady gives to him is her green girdle — in the poem, that’s the first time he’s encountered a green girdle — and he keeps it for himself, not passing it along to the lord as he promised.
The Green Knight is glorious and a little baffling. Let’s untangle it. | Alissa Wilkinson | July 30, 2021 | Vox
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 | THE DAILY BEASTHer long black hair was bound above her forehead with a circlet of turquoises, and the ends, curled about her glittering girdle.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show | Robert W. Chambers | February 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHowever odd, The Daily Mail has charted the post-baby girdle as a growing trend amongst new moms.
'Downton Abbey' Fashion Line on Its Way; The New Trend for Post-Natal Corsets | The Fashion Beast Team | April 30, 2013 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEASTEvery female extra wore the right girdle and seamed stockings; every man had the correct length tie.
And he girded him about with a glorious girdle, and clothed him with a robe of glory, and crowned him with majestic attire.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousPass thy land as a river, O daughter of the sea, thou hast a girdle no more.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version | VariousThe girdle which the prophet had been commanded to hide, in process of time was marred; it was profitable for nothing.
The Ordinance of Covenanting | John CunninghamIt was probably 'the metal chape or tag fixed to the end of a girdle or strap,' viz.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems | Geoffrey ChaucerMake a girdle around a smooth shaft, or make a shaft with a knob or large joint near the butt.
The Later Cave-Men | Katharine Elizabeth Dopp
British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)
/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /
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
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
Origin of girdle
1Derived forms of girdle
- girdle-like, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for girdle (2 of 2)
/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /
Scot and Northern English dialect another word for griddle
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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