Webster's English Dictionary

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girdle

1. gir.dle \'g*rd-*l\ n [ME girdel, fr. OE gyrdel; akin to OHG gurtil 
   girdle, OE g]yrdan to gird 1: something that encircles or confines : as  
   1a: an article of dress encircling the body usu. at the waist  1b: a 
   woman's close-fitting undergarment often boned and usu. elasticized t hat 
   extends from the waist to below the hips 1c: a bony arch for the support of 
   a limb  1d: a ring made by the removal of the bark and cambium around a 
   plant stem  2: the edge of a brilliant that is grasped by the setting 
2. girdle \'g*rd-lin, -*l-in\ vt or gir.dling 1: to encircle with a girdle  
   2: to move around : CIRCLE  3: to cut a girdle around (a plant) usu. to 
   kill by interrupting the circu lation of water and nutrients