girdle
/ˈɡɜːdl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡɜːrdl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈgər-dᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈɡɜː.dəl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈɡɝː.dəl/ (ame, ipa)
girdle — noun
- girdlesingular
- girdlesplural
1. a tight stretchy undergarment that women pull on around the hips and stomach to
a tight stretchy undergarment that women pull on around the hips and stomach to make their figure look slimmer or to support the body after surgery.
Sirin pulled on a thick girdle under her wedding dress to smooth her waistline.
wear under fitted clothing for a smoother silhouette
The doctor told Lara to wear a soft girdle for six weeks after her stomach surgery.
post-surgical support context
In the 1950s most grandmothers owned at least one tight rubber girdle.
Ayesha squeezed into a control girdle before slipping on the silk dress.
- corset
tighter, stiffer, often laced — historical or formal evening wear
- shapewear
modern umbrella term, covers girdles plus newer stretchy garments
- foundation garment
formal industry term for any shaping underwear
文法句型
wear a girdle
put on a girdle
用法筆記
Subject is usually female; the word is dated in casual speech and largely replaced by 'shapewear' or 'Spanx' in modern Taiwan-relevant English media.
常見錯誤
2. a narrow band of fabric or cord knotted at the waist on top of a robe, mostly se
a narrow band of fabric or cord knotted at the waist on top of a robe, mostly seen now on monks, priests, or in stories about earlier centuries.
The monk knotted a simple rope girdle over his brown robe before morning prayers.
religious dress context
Hugo painted the medieval knight with a silver girdle and a sword hanging from it.
historical / artistic context
Roman soldiers fastened their tunics with a leather girdle to keep the cloth in place.
The actress in the Shakespeare play wore a gold girdle around her green velvet gown.
文法句型
tie a girdle around
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (modern shaping underwear): this sense is worn on the outside, visible over the clothing, and tied rather than pulled on.
3. a ring of something that goes all the way around something else, used in a liter
a ring of something that goes all the way around something else, used in a literary or geographic way — for example a chain of mountains around a valley, or trees around a lake.
A green girdle of pine forest runs all the way around the small mountain lake.
geographic ring of vegetation
Tall steel fences form a girdle of security around the embassy compound in Geneva.
metaphorical security ring
From the plane, Jason could see a thin girdle of cloud wrapped around the volcano's peak.
The old city sits inside a stone girdle of medieval walls built in the 1300s.
文法句型
a girdle of [noun]
用法筆記
Often follows the pattern 'a girdle of [plural noun]' where the second noun names what forms the ring (forest, walls, mountains, cloud). Mostly written, rarely spoken.
4. in anatomy, a curved set of bones in the body that joins the arms to the chest (
in anatomy, a curved set of bones in the body that joins the arms to the chest (the shoulder girdle) or the legs to the spine (the pelvic girdle).
The biology teacher pointed to the pelvic girdle on the model skeleton in the classroom.
anatomy teaching context
Ife broke her shoulder girdle when she fell off the horse at the riding school.
medical injury context
Birds have a much lighter pelvic girdle than humans, which helps them fly.
The surgeon studied the X-ray of the patient's shoulder girdle before planning the operation.
- pelvis
the lower bone ring specifically, in everyday and medical use
- pectoral girdle
technical synonym for 'shoulder girdle' used in textbooks
- hip bone
informal partial equivalent of the pelvic girdle
文法句型
the pelvic girdle
the shoulder girdle
用法筆記
Almost always paired with 'pelvic' or 'shoulder' — bare 'girdle' in an anatomy context is rare and would confuse readers.
常見錯誤
girdle — verb
- girdlepresent simple I / you / we / they
- girdles3rd person singular
- girdling-ing form
- girdledpast simple
1. to form a complete ring around something, like a forest going all the way around
to form a complete ring around something, like a forest going all the way around a hill or a wall going all the way around a city — a literary word, mostly used in writing.
Tall pine trees girdle the small Swedish village where Noa spent her summers as a child.
literary: trees ringing a place
Ancient stone walls still girdle the old centre of the Italian hilltop town.
passive-like literary usage with walls as subject
Coral reefs girdle the small island, keeping the inner lagoon calm even in storms.
A wide moat once girdled the medieval castle, but today only a dry ditch remains.
文法句型
girdle + noun (object)
be girdled by + noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually a natural feature (trees, reefs, mountains) or built structure (walls, moat); the object is the thing being enclosed. Mostly used in written or descriptive prose; avoid in casual speech — say 'go around' or 'surround' instead.
常見錯誤
2. in forestry, to kill a tree slowly by cutting a strip of bark all the way around
in forestry, to kill a tree slowly by cutting a strip of bark all the way around the trunk so that water and food can no longer move up and down inside the tree.
Liang taught the new forest workers how to girdle invasive trees instead of cutting them down.
forestry management context
If you girdle an oak in early spring, it usually dies slowly over the next two summers.
conditional + time-frame for the technique
Park rangers girdle non-native pines so that local plants can grow back in the open light.
The farmer girdled three large maples to clear space for the new apple orchard.
文法句型
girdle + tree
用法筆記
Object is a tree or trees, almost never any other plant. Often appears alongside 'bark' or 'trunk' in nearby sentences. Distinguish from sense 1 (general 'surround'): this sense is a specific, intentional cutting action.