Ungyrdan

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To loosen or take off the belt or girdle that was fastened around a person's waist
2. To unbuckle a girdle or sash from the body, freeing the wearer from its binding
3. Removing a waist band or cord by undoing its fastening, as in the Old English sense of loosening a girdle

Etymology: Ungyrdan is an Old English verb meaning "to unfasten a belt or girdle," literally "to take off one's belt" and, more broadly, to loosen or undo something that had been bound around the body. It is built from the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse," and "gyrdan," "to gird," that is, to put a belt or band around someone or something. The root "gyrdan" goes back to a Proto-Germanic verb, "*gurdijan," which also gave Old Norse "gyrða," Dutch "gorden," and German "gürten." English kept the same root in "girdle," a belt or sash, and in the older sense of "gird," still found in phrases like "gird your loins." The reversed form "ungird" survived into Middle English and has been used sparingly since, mostly in archaic or poetic contexts.