gird

WOTD – 2 September 2010    

English

Heracles girding Antaeus

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ɡɜːd/
• (US) IPA: /ɡɝd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Etymology 1

Old English gyrdan (“to put a belt around, to put a girdle around”). Cognate with Albanian ngërthej (“to tie together by weaving, to bind”).

Verb

gird (third-person singular simple present girds, present participle girding, simple past and past participle girded or girt)

1. (transitive) To bind with a flexible rope or cord.

   The fasces were girt about with twine in bundles large.

2. (transitive) To encircle with, or as if with a belt.

   The lady girt herself with silver chain, from which she hung a golden shear.

   Our home is girt by sea... - Advance Australia Fair

3. (transitive) To prepare oneself for an action.

Translations

to bind with a flexible rope or cord

• Finnish: sitoa (fi)
• French: lier (fr) ceindre (fr) garrotter (fr) ligaturer (fr)
• Italian: legare (it) allaciare (it)

• Russian: связывать (ru) (sv'ázyvat')  impf., связать (ru) (sv'azát')  pf.
• Spanish: atar (es) ligar (es)

to encircle with, or as if with a belt

• Finnish: vyöttää (fi) ((as if) with a belt); ympäröidä (fi) (surround)
• French: ceindre (fr) ceinturer (fr) entourer (fr) enserrer (fr)
• Italian: cinturare (it) cingere (it) circondare (it)

• Russian: подпоясывать (ru) (podpojásyvat')  impf., подпоясать (ru) (podpojásat')  pf., окружать (ru) (okružatʹ), огораживать (ru) (ogoraživatʹ), окаймлять (ru) (okajmljatʹ), охватывать (ru) (oxvatyvatʹ), опоясывать (ru) (opojasyvatʹ)
• Spanish: ceñir (es) rodear (es) cercar (es) encerrar (es)

Related terms

• girder
• girdle
• gird up one’s loins
• girt
• undergird

Etymology 2

Noun

gird (plural girds)

1. A sarcastic remark.

Translations

sarcastic remark

• Finnish: vinoilu (fi)

• Russian: насмешка (ru) f (nasmeška)

Verb

gird (third-person singular simple present girds, present participle girding, simple past and past participle girded)

1. (transitive) To jeer at.
2. (intransitive) To jeer.
   • Shakespeare

     Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me.

Translations

To jeer at

• Russian: насмехаться (ru) (nasmexatʹsja)

To jeer

• Russian: насмехаться (ru) (nasmexatʹsja)

Anagrams

• grid, GRID