Girdling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The action of surrounding or encircling a specific object or region closely A method in forestry to inhibit tree growth by removing a portion of bark A process in design or textiles that refers to creating a round band or border around an item
2. The act of tightly enclosing or surrounding something ; cutting around a tree trunk to kill it by stopping nutrient movement ; making a round decorative or structural border in crafts or design
3. Closely wrapping or bounding an object or area ; stripping bark off a tree's circumference to interrupt its growth ; creating a circular edge or band in artistic or fabric work

Etymology: Girdling is the present participle of "girdle," a word that began as a belt. Old English "gyrdel" and its Germanic relatives all named a band worn around the waist, and the stem "gird" meant to bind or encircle. The noun grew from that verb, so the act of girdling is literally the act of putting a belt around something. The forestry sense follows the same logic. A girdled tree has a ring of bark stripped from its trunk all the way around, cutting the flow of nutrients between leaves and roots, so growth slows or the tree dies. The design and textile sense, a round band or border around an item, keeps the same image of a closed circle wrapped around a central form. The word's relatives across Europe show how old the idea is. German "Gürtel," Dutch "gordel," and Swedish "gördel" all mean belt, and Yiddish "gartl" is a loanword from German that gave English "gartel," a doublet of "girdle."

Synonyms: encircling, surrounding