Cords

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /kɔːdz/

Definitions

1. Flexible strands crafted from materials like fiber or plastic that serve to join or restrain objects
2. Thin lines formed from intertwined elements that are frequently employed in fastening, connecting, or securing things together
3. Long, slender bundles made by twisting fibers together, commonly used to tie or hold objects firmly

Etymology: The word "cords" is simply the plural of "cord," so its story is really the story of "cord" itself. That singular goes back through Old French "corde" and Middle English "corde" to Latin "chorda," a borrowing of Ancient Greek "khordē," which meant the gut string of a musical instrument. The sense of a twisted line was a later extension from that stringed-instrument idea. The plural form has a surprising twist. In the sense of ribbed cloth, "cords" is a shortening of "corduroys," the name of the fabric, so the plural ending attached to the trousers' material has a different route from the rope-like sense.

Synonyms: strings, lines, wires

Antonyms: looseness, slack