GIRD

PRONUNCIATION: (guhrd)

MEANING:
verb tr.: 1. To encircle or bind with a belt or band.
2. To surround.
3. To prepare for action (especially as "to gird one's loins").
verb tr., intr.: 4. To jeer.
noun: 5. A sarcastic remark.

ETYMOLOGY:
For 1-3: From Old English gyrdan. Ultimately from the Indo-European root gher- (to enclose or grasp), which is also the source of such words as orchard, kindergarten, court, choir, courteous, French jardin (garden), Hindi gherna (to surround), yard, horticulture, curtilage, and garth. Earliest documented use: 950.
For 4-5: From Middle English girden, to strike. Earliest documented use: 1275.

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GIRDL - A constricting undergarment meant to enhance a Middle-European woman's figure; worn under a dirndl