gir·dle
(gûrdl)
(gûrdl)n.
1.
a. A belt or sash worn around the waist.
b. Something that encircles like a belt.
c. An elasticized, flexible undergarment worn over the waist and hips to give the body a more slender appearance.
2. A band made around the trunk of a tree by the removal of a strip of bark.
3. The edge of a cut gem held by the setting.
4. Anatomy The pelvic or pectoral girdle.
tr.v.gir·dled, gir·dling, gir·dles
1. To encircle with a belt.
2. To form a circle around:a ring of hills that girdled the city.
3. To remove a band of bark and cambium from the circumference of (a tree), usually in order to kill it.
[Middle Englishgirdel, fromOld Englishgyrdel; see gher-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
girdlebrilliant-cut gemstone