girdle

[ gur-dl ]

/ ˈgɜr dl /

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).

Nearby words

giraudoux, giraudoux, jean, gird, gird one's loins, girder, girdle, girdle anesthesia, girdle sensation, girdle traverse, girdle-tailed lizard, girdler

Origin of girdle

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

SYNONYMS FOR girdle

3 belt, circle, ring, band, hedge.

Related formsgir·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for ungirdled

The burghers who followed the half-clad officials were fully dressed but they, too, were barefoot and ungirdled.
Charles the Bold|Ruth Putnam
It has an old, well-established look; a place of relaxation with restraint, not of ungirdled frivolity.
The Valley of Vision|Henry Van Dyke
A yellow dressinggown, ungirdled, was sustained gently behind him on the mild morning air.
Ulysses|James Joyce
You of the cassock clan enjoy privileges denied to us, the ungirdled sons of Belial.
A Speckled Bird|Augusta J. Evans Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for ungirdled (1 of 2)

girdle

/ (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 Formsgirdle-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 ungirdled (2 of 2)

girdle

/ (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

Word Origin and History for ungirdled

girdle

Old English gyrdel "belt, sash, cord about the waist," common Germanic. (cf. Old Norse gyrðill, Swedish gördel, Old Frisian gerdel, Dutch gordel, Old High German gurtil, German Gürtel "belt"), related to Old English gyrdan "to gird" (see gird). Modern euphemistic sense of "elastic corset" first recorded 1925. The verb meaning "encircle with a girdle" is attested from 1580s. Meaning "to cut off a belt of bark around a trunk to kill a tree" is from 1660s. Related: Girdled; girdling.

Medicine definitions for ungirdled

girdle

[ gûr′dl ]

n.

Something that encircles like a belt.

An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips.

The pelvic or pectoral girdle.

Science definitions for ungirdled

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.