Adjacent Words

Gird definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GIRD, n. gurd. [Eng. a yard.]
1. A twitch or pang; a sudden spasm, which resembles the stroke of a rod or the pressure of a band.
2. In popular language, a severe stroke of a stick or whip.
GIRD, v.t. gurd. pret. and pp. girded or girt.
1. To bind by surrounding with any flexible substance, as with a twig, a cord, bandage or cloth; as, to gird the loins with sackcloth.
2. To make fast by binding; to put on; usually with on; as, to gird on a harness; to gird on a sword.
3. To invest; to surround.
The Son appeared,
Girt with omnipotence.
4. To clothe; to dress; to habit.
I girded thee about with fine linen. Ezek 16.
5. To furnish; to equip.
Girded with snaky wiles.
6. To surround; to encircle; to inclose; to encompass.
The Nyseian isle,
Girt with the river Triton.
7. To gibe; to reproach severly; to lash.
GIRD, v.i. To gibe; to sneer; to break a scornful jest; to utter severe sarcasms.
Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: prepare oneself for a military confrontation; "The U.S. is girding for a conflict in the Middle East"; "troops are building up on the Iraqi border" [syn: arm, build up, fortify, gird] [ant: demilitarise, demilitarize, disarm]
2: put a girdle on or around; "gird your loins" [syn: girdle, gird]
3: bind with something round or circular [syn: gird, encircle]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (girded or girt; girding) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English gyrdan; akin to Old English geard yard — more at yard Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. a. to encircle or bind with a flexible band (as a belt) b. to make fast (as a sword by a belt or clothing with a cord) c. surround 2. provide, equip; especially to invest with the sword of knighthood 3. to prepare (oneself) for action intransitive verb to prepare for action II. verb Etymology: Middle English, to strike, thrust Date: 1546 transitive verb to sneer at ; mock intransitive verb gibe, rail III. noun Date: 1566 a sarcastic remark

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v.tr. (past and past part. girded or girt) literary 1 encircle, attach, or secure with a belt or band. 2 secure (clothes) on the body with a girdle or belt. 3 enclose or encircle. 4 a (foll. by with) equip with a sword in a belt. b fasten (a sword) with a belt. 5 (foll. by round) place (cord etc.) round. Phrases and idioms: gird (or gird up) one's loins prepare for action. Etymology: OE gyrdan f. Gmc (as GIRTH) 2. v. & n. --v.intr. (foll. by at) jeer or gibe. --n. a gibe or taunt. Etymology: ME, = strike etc.: orig. unkn.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gird Gird, n. [See Yard a measure.] 1. A stroke with a rod or switch; a severe spasm; a twinge; a pang. Conscience . . . is freed from many fearful girds and twinges which the atheist feels. --Tillotson. 2. A cut; a sarcastic remark; a gibe; a sneer. I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gird Gird, v. t. [See Gird, n., and cf. Girde, v.] 1. To strike; to smite. [Obs.] To slay him and to girden off his head. --Chaucer. 2. To sneer at; to mock; to gibe. Being moved, he will not spare to gird the gods. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gird Gird, v. i. To gibe; to sneer; to break a scornful jest; to utter severe sarcasms. Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gird Gird, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girtor Girded; p. pr. & vb. n. Girding.] [OE. girden, gurden, AS. gyrdan; akin to OS. gurdian, D. gorden, OHG. gurten, G. g["u]rten, Icel. gyr?a, Sw. gjorda, Dan. giorde, Goth. biga['i]rdan to begird, and prob. to E. yard an inclosure. Cf. Girth, n. & v., Girt, v. t.] 1. To encircle or bind with any flexible band. 2. To make fast, as clothing, by binding with a cord, girdle, bandage, etc. 3. To surround; to encircle, or encompass. That Nyseian isle, Girt with the River Triton. --Milton. 4. To clothe; to swathe; to invest. I girded thee about with fine linen. --Ezek. xvi. 10. The Son . . . appeared Girt with omnipotence. --Milton. 5. To prepare; to make ready; to equip; as, to gird one's self for a contest. Thou hast girded me with strength. --Ps. xviii. 39. To gird on, to put on; to fasten around or to one securely, like a girdle; as, to gird on armor or a sword. Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. --1 Kings xx. 11. To gird up, to bind tightly with a girdle; to support and strengthen, as with a girdle. He girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab. --1 Kings xviii. 46. Gird up the loins of your mind. --1 Pet. i. 13. Girt up; prepared or equipped, as for a journey or for work, in allusion to the ancient custom of gathering the long flowing garments into the girdle and tightening it before any exertion; hence, adjectively, eagerly or constantly active; strenuous; striving. ``A severer, more girt-up way of living.'' --J. C. Shairp.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(girds, girding, girded) If you gird yourself for a battle or contest, you prepare yourself for it. (LITERARY) With audiences in the US falling for the first time in a generation, Hollywood is girding itself for recession. to gird your loins: see loin VERB: V pron-refl for n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Girdle, bind round, bind with a girdle. 2. Surround, encircle, encompass, enclose, environ, engird, begird. 3. Clothe, invest, equip, furnish. 4. Reproach, gibe, sneer at, lash, satirize. II. v. n. Gibe, sneer, make scornful jests, utter sarcasms.

Moby Thesaurus

band, bandage, beef up, begird, belt, belt in, bend, beset, bind, bind up, bolster, brace, brace up, bundle, buttress, case harden, chain, cinch, cincture, circle, confirm, dispose, do up, encincture, encircle, encompass, engird, ensphere, fleer, flout, forearm, fortify, gibe, girdle, girt, girth, harden, hem, invigorate, jeer, jest, lace, lash, leash, loop, nerve, prepare, prop, ready, refresh, reinforce, reinvigorate, restrengthen, ring, rope, round, shore up, sneer, splice, steel, stiffen, strap, strengthen, support, sustain, swaddle, swathe, temper, tie, tie up, toughen, truss, twine around, undergird, whet the knife, wire, wrap, wrap up, wreathe, wreathe around, zone