Girdle

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɝdl̩/

Definitions

1. A supportive undergarment worn around the waist and hips to shape and smooth the body's contours
2. A garment designed to wrap around the waist for support and shaping, providing a smooth silhouette while also functioning as a stabilizing layer for outer clothing
3. A form-fitting band worn around the waist primarily to sculpt the body and provide support while enhancing the overall look of an outfit

Etymology: Girdle began as a plain practical word for a belt. Its Old English form, "gyrdel," came from a Proto-Germanic root meaning the same thing, and it is built from the verb "gird," meaning to bind or fasten something around the body, with the suffix "-le" marking the object that does the binding. The same pattern gives German "Gürtel" and Dutch "gordel," both still meaning belt, so the word has stayed loyal to its original sense across the Germanic languages. The garment sense is a later narrowing. For centuries a girdle was simply something worn around the waist, and it could be ornamental, a cord or a band of metal. Over time the word attached itself to close-fitting undergarments that did the same job from the inside, binding the waist and hips rather than holding up clothes. A close relative shows how one root branched. Yiddish "gartl" means belt too, and English borrowed it as "gartel," a doublet of girdle that shares the same ancestry but arrived by a separate route.

Synonyms: belt, sash, corset, band, strap

Antonyms: loosen, unbind, release, untie, unfasten