girdle

[ gur-dl ]

/ ˈgɜr dl /

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See synonyms for: girdle / girdled / girdling 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).

OTHER WORDS FOR girdle

3 belt, circle, ring, band, hedge.

See synonyms for girdle on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of girdle

before 1000; Middle English; Old English gyrdel, derivative of girdan to gird¹

OTHER WORDS FROM girdle

gir·dle·like, adjectivegir·dling·ly, adverbun·gir·dle, verb (used with object), un·gir·dled, un·gir·dling.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use girdle in a sentence

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
Two European carriers, Lufthansa and Air France/KLM, have been building world-girdling routes.
Bad News for Fliers|Clive Irving|April 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Severe ground fires may kill valuable timber by girdling the trees.
Our National Forests|Richard H. Douai Boerker

To prevent rabbits and mice from girdling fruit-trees in winter, is very important to fruit-growers.
Soil Culture|J. H. Walden
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
The girdling effect of these galleries is the real cause of the death of the trees.
Northern Nut Growers Association Report of the Proceedings at the Second Annual Meeting|Northern Nut Growers Association
Meanwhile the Rutulians press round all the gates, dealing grim slaughter and girdling the walls with flame.
The Aeneid of Virgil|Virgil

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)

girdle¹

/ (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 partSee 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 girdle (2 of 2)

girdle²

/ (ˈɡɜːdəl) /

noun

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

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.

girdle

OTHER WORDS FOR girdle

Origin of girdle

OTHER WORDS FROM girdle

Words related to girdle

How to use girdle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (1 of 2)

Derived forms of girdle

Word Origin for girdle

British Dictionary definitions for girdle (2 of 2)

Scientific definitions for girdle