girdler

American  

[gurd-ler] / ˈgɜrd lər /

noun

1. a person or thing that girdles.

2. any of several insects, as a beetle, Oncideres cingulata twig girdler, that cut a groove around the bark of a twig, stem, etc.

3. a person who makes girdles.

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girdler British  

/ ˈɡɜːdlə /

noun

1. a person or thing that girdles

2. a maker of girdles

3. any insect, such as the twig girdler, that bores circular grooves around the stems or twigs in which it lays its eggs

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Etymology

Origin of girdler

Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at girdle, -er ¹

Example Sentences

With huge infusions of cash, he built it from a small southwestern carrier into a globe girdler.

From Time Magazine Archive

The tree has been crippled by the twig girdler this year.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Fifteenth Annual Meeting New York City, September 3, 4 and 5, 1924 by Northern Nut Growers Association

And straightway she prayed, and that instantly, to the lord Poseidon: 'Hear me, Poseidon, girdler of the earth, and grudge not the fulfilment of this labour in answer to our prayer.

From The Odyssey Done into English prose by Lang, Andrew

It is also subject to shuck-worm and twig girdler injury.

From Northern Nut Growers Association Incorporated 39th Annual Report at Norris, Tenn. September 13-15 1948 by Northern Nut Growers Association

Another insect often found in a nut orchard is the oak tree girdler, which also is active in the latter part of the summer.

From Growing Nuts in the North A Personal Story of the Author's Experience of 33 Years with Nut Culture in Minnesota and Wisconsin by Weschcke, Carl