girdle: English has two words girdle. The more familiar, ‘belt’ [OE], goes back, together with its relatives garth, gird [OE], and girth [14], to a prehistoric Germanic *gurd-, *gard-, *gerdwhich denoted ‘surrounding’. From *gurdcame the verb *gurthjan, which produced both gird and girdle (as well as relatives in other Germanic languages, such as German gürtel, Dutch gordel, and Swedish gördel, all meaning ‘belt’), while *gerd- formed the basis of *gerdō, acquired by English via Old Norse gjorth as girth. Girdle ‘metal baking plate’ [15] (as in girdle cake) is a Scottish alteration of griddle (see GRID). => garth, gird, girth
Old English gyrdel "belt, sash, cord drawn about the waist and fastened," worn by both men and women, common Germanic (cognates: Old Norse gyrðill, Swedish gördel, Old Frisian gerdel, Dutch gordel, Old High German gurtil, German Gürtel "belt"), from the same source as Old English gyrdan "to gird" (see gird). Modern euphemistic sense of "elastic corset not extending above the waist" first recorded 1925. Originally a belt to secure the clothes, also for carrying a purse, a weapon, keys, etc.
"encircle with a girdle," 1580s, from girdle (n.). Meaning "to cut off a belt of bark around a trunk to kill a tree" is from 1660s, especially in North America. Related: Girdled; girdling.
