gir·dle
(gûŕdl)
[Middle English girdel, from Old English gyrdel.]
noun
- A belt or sash worn around the waist.
- Something that encircles like a belt.
- An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips, especially by women, to give the body a more slender appearance.
- A band made around the trunk of a tree by the removal of a strip of bark.
- The edge of a cut gem held by the setting.
- Anatomy The pelvic or pectoral girdle.
transitive verb: -dled, -dling, -dles.
- To encircle with or as if with a belt. See synonyms at surround
- To circle around: a ring of hills that girdled the city.
- To remove a band of bark and cambium from the circumference of (a tree), usually in order to kill it.
