girdle
noun/ˈɡɜːdl/
/ˈɡɜːrdl/
- a piece of underwear, made of a strong material with elastic in it, that fits closely around the middle part of the body down to the top of the legs, worn to give the body a better shape or to support it, for example after surgery see also panty girdle
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- (old-fashioned) a belt or thick string fastened around the middle part of the body to keep clothes in position
- (literary) a thing that surrounds something else
- carefully tended lawns set in a girdle of trees
Word OriginOld English gyrdel, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch gordel and German Gürtel, also to gird and girth.
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girdle