GIRDLE

Etymology 1

From Middle English girdel, gerdel, gurdel, from Old English gyrdel, from Proto-West Germanic *gurdil, from Proto-Germanic *gurdilaz (“girdle, belt”), equivalent to gird +‎ -le.

Noun

girdle (plural girdles)

1. That which girds, encircles, or encloses; a circumference quotations ▼
2. A belt or sash at the waist, often used to support stockings or hosiery. quotations ▼
3. A garment used to hold the abdomen, hips, buttocks, and/or thighs in a particular shape.
4. The zodiac; also, the equator. quotations ▼
5. The line of greatest circumference of a brilliant-cut diamond, at which it is grasped by the setting^[2].
6. (mining) A thin bed or stratum of stone^[3].
7. The clitellum of an earthworm.
8. The removal or inversion of a ring of bark in order to kill or stunt a tree.

Derived terms[edit]

• athlete's girdle
• Girdle Ness
• girdle scone
• girdle traverse
• notch girdle
• panty girdle
• pectoral girdle
• peel girdle
• pelvic girdle
• shoulder girdle
• Venus's girdle