Girt - Glacis

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Gimp (?), a. [W. gwymp fair, neat, comely.] Smart; spruce; trim; nice. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
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Gimp, n. [OF. guimpe, guimple, a nun's wimple, F. guimpe, OHG. wimpal a veil G. wimpel pennon, pendant. See , n.] A narrow ornamental fabric of silk, woolen, or cotton, often with a metallic wire, or sometimes a coarse cord, running through it; -- used as trimming for dresses, furniture, etc.
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Gimp nail, an upholsterer's small nail.
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Gimp, v. t. To notch; to indent; to jag.
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Gin (?), prep. [AS. geán. See .] Against; near by; towards; as, gin night. [Scot.] A. Ross (1778).
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Gin, conj. [See , prep.] If. [Scotch] Jamieson.
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Gin (gĭn), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Gan (găn), Gon (gŏn), or Gun (gŭn); p. pr. & vb. n. Ginning.] [OE. ginnen, AS. ginnan (in comp.), prob. orig., to open, cut open, cf. OHG. inginnan to begin, open, cut open, and prob. akin to AS. gīnan to yawn, and E. yawn. √31. See , v. i., and cf. .] To begin; -- often followed by an infinitive without to; as, gan tell. See . [Obs. or Archaic] “He gan to pray.” Chaucer.
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Gin (jĭn), n. [Contr. from Geneva. See 2d .] A strong alcoholic liquor, distilled from rye and barley, and flavored with juniper berries; -- also called Hollands and Holland gin, because originally, and still very extensively, manufactured in Holland. Common gin is usually flavored with turpentine.
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Gin (?), n. [A contraction of engine.]
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1. Contrivance; artifice; a trap; a snare. Chaucer. Spenser.
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2. (a) A machine for raising or moving heavy weights, consisting of a tripod formed of poles united at the top, with a windlass, pulleys, ropes, etc. (b) (Mining) A hoisting drum, usually vertical; a whim.
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3. A machine for separating the seeds from cotton; a cotton gin.
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☞ The name is also given to an instrument of torture worked with screws, and to a pump moved by rotary sails.
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Coloq. Gin block , a simple form of tackle block, having one wheel, over which a rope runs; -- called also whip gin, rubbish pulley, and monkey wheel. -- Coloq. Gin power , a form of horse power for driving a cotton gin. -- Coloq. Gin race , or Coloq. Gin ring , the path of the horse when putting a gin in motion. Halliwell. -- Coloq. Gin saw , a saw used in a cotton gin for drawing the fibers through the grid, leaving the seed in the hopper. -- Coloq. Gin wheel . (a) In a cotton gin, a wheel for drawing the fiber through the grid; a brush wheel to clean away the lint. (b) (Mining) the drum of a whim.
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Gin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ginned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Ginning.] 1. To catch in a trap. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
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2. To clear of seeds by a machine; as, to gin cotton.
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ginep n. A tropical American tree (Melicocca bijuga) bearing a small edible fruit with green leathery skin and sweet juicy translucent pulp. [Also spelled genip.]
Syn. -- Spanish lime, Spanish lime tree, honey berry, mamoncillo, Melicocca bijuga, Melicoccus bijugatus.
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Ging (?), n. Same as , n., 2. [Obs.]
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There is a knot, a ging, a pack, a conspiracy against me. Shak.
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Gingal (?), n. See .
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Ginger (?), n. [OE. ginger, gingever, gingivere, OF. gengibre, gingimbre, F. gingembre, L. zingiber, zingiberi, fr. Gr. �; of Oriental origin; cf. Ar. & Pers. zenjebīl, fr. Skr. çṛṅgavëra, prop., hornshaped; ���ga horn + vëra body.]
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1. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Zingiber, of the East and West Indies. The species most known is Zingiber officinale.
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2. The hot and spicy rootstock of Zingiber officinale, which is much used in cookery and in medicine.
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Coloq. Ginger ale (a) a soft drink flavored with ginger and carbonated. (a) See ginger beer, below. -- Coloq. Ginger beer or Coloq. Ginger ale , a mild beer impregnated with ginger. -- Coloq. Ginger cordial , a liquor made from ginger, raisins, lemon rind, and water, and sometimes whisky or brandy. -- Coloq. Ginger pop . See Ginger ale (above). -- Coloq. Ginger wine , wine impregnated with ginger. -- Coloq. Wild ginger (Bot.), an American herb (Asarum Canadense) with two reniform leaves and a long, cordlike rootstock which has a strong taste of ginger.
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Gingerbread (?), n. A kind of plain sweet cake seasoned with ginger, and sometimes made in fanciful shapes.Gingerbread that was full fine.” Chaucer.


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Coloq. Gingerbread tree (Bot.), the doom palm; -- so called from the resemblance of its fruit to gingerbread. See . -- Coloq. Gingerbread work , ornamentation, in architecture or decoration, of a fantastic, trivial, or tawdry character.
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Gingerly, adv. [Prov. E. ginger brittle, tender; cf. dial. Sw. gingla, gängla, to go gently, totter, akin to E. gang.] Cautiously; timidly; fastidiously; daintily.
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What is't that you took up so gingerly ? Shak.
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Gingerness, n. Cautiousness; tenderness.
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gingerroot n. The pungent rhizome of the common ginger plant; -- it is used fresh as a seasoning, especially in Oriental cookery.
Syn. -- ginger.
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gingersnap n. A crisp cookie flavored with ginger.
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gingery adj. tasting of ginger; spicy; -- used of tastes.
Syn. -- hot, peppery, spicy.
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Gingham (?), n. [F. guingan; cf. Jav. ginggang; or perh. fr. Guingamp, in France.] A kind of cotton or linen cloth, usually in stripes or checks, the yarn of which is dyed before it is woven; -- distinguished from printed cotton or prints.
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Ginging (?), n. (Mining) The lining of a mine shaft with stones or bricks to prevent caving.
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Gingival (?), a. [L. gingiva the gum.] Of or pertaining to the gums. Holder.
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Gingle (?), n. & v. [Obs.] See .
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Ginglyform (?), a. (Anat.) Ginglymoid.
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Ginglymodi (?), n. [NL.; cf. Gr. � ginglymoid. See .] (Zoöl.) An order of ganoid fishes, including the modern gar pikes and many allied fossil forms. They have rhombic, ganoid scales, a heterocercal tail, paired fins without an axis, fulcra on the fins, and a bony skeleton, with the vertebræ convex in front and concave behind, forming a ball and socket joint. See .

{ Ginglymoid (?), Ginglymoidal (?), } a. [Gr. �; � ginglymus + e'i^dos form: cf. F. ginglymoide, ginglymoïdal.] (Anat.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a ginglymus, or hinge joint; ginglyform.
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Ginglymus (?), n.; pl. Ginglymi (#). [NL., fr. Gr. � a hingelike joint, a ball and socket joint.] (Anat.) A hinge joint; an articulation, admitting of flexion and extension, or motion in two directions only, as the elbow and the ankle.
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Ginhouse (?), n. A building where cotton is ginned.
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Ginkgo (?), n.; pl. Ginkgoes (#). [Chin., silver fruit.] (Bot.) A large ornamental tree (Ginkgo biloba) from China and Japan, belonging to the Yew suborder of Coniferæ. Its leaves are so like those of some maidenhair ferns, that it is also called the maidenhair tree.
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Ginkgophyta, Ginkgophytina, Ginkgopsida n. (Bot.) A division of trees comprising the ginkgos. In some systems it is classified as a class (Ginkgopsida) and in others as a subdivision (Ginkgophytina or Ginkgophyta); used in some classifications for one of five subdivisions of Gymnospermophyta.
Syn. -- Ginkgopsida, class Ginkgopsida, subdivision Ginkgophytina.
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ginmill, gin mill n. A commercial establishment where alcoholic drinks are served over a counter; a barroom; -- a disparaging term suggesting a cheap or disreputable bar.
Syn. -- barroom, bar-room, bar, saloon, taproom.
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Ginnee (?), n.; pl. Ginn (�). See .
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Ginnet (?), n. See , a horse.
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Ginning (?), n. [See , v. i.] Beginning. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Ginny-carriage (�), n. A small, strong carriage for conveying materials on a railroad. [Eng.]
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Ginseng (?), n. [Chinese.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Aralia, the root of which is highly valued as a medicine among the Chinese. The Chinese plant (Aralia Schinseng) has become so rare that the American (A. quinquefolia) has largely taken its place, and its root is now an article of export from America to China. The root, when dry, is of a yellowish white color, with a sweetness in the taste somewhat resembling that of licorice, combined with a slight aromatic bitterness.
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Ginshop (?), n. A shop or barroom where gin is sold as a beverage. [Colloq.]
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Gip (?), v. t. To take out the entrails of (herrings).
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Gip, n. A servant. See . Sir W. Scott.
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Gipoun (?), n. [See .] A short cassock. [Written also gepoun, gypoun, jupon, juppon.] [Obs.]

{ Gipser (?), Gipsire (?), } n. [F. gibecière a game pouch or game pocket. Cf. .] A kind of pouch formerly worn at the girdle. Ld. Lytton.
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A gipser all of silk,
Hung at his girdle, white as morné milk.
Chaucer.
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Gipsy (jĭps�), n. & a. See .
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Gipsyism (?), n. See .
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gipsywort n. A hairy Eurasian herb (Lycopus europaeus) with two-lipped white flowers.
Syn. -- gypsywort, Lycopus europaeus.
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Giraffa prop. n. The type genus of the Giraffidae.
Syn. -- genus Giraffa.
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giraffe (jĭrăf; 277), n. [F. girafe, Sp. girafa, from Ar. zurāfa, zarāfa.] (Zoöl.) An African ruminant (Giraffa camelopardalis formerly Camelopardalis giraffa) related to the deers and antelopes, but placed in a family (Giraffidae) by itself; the camelopard. It is the tallest of quadriped animals, being sometimes twenty feet from the hoofs to the top of the head. Its neck is very long, and its fore legs are much longer than its hind legs. There are three types, having different patterns of spots on the pelt and different territories: the Reticulated Giraffe, the Masai Giraffe, and the Uganda Giraffe. Intermediate crosses are also observed.
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Giraffidae prop. n. The natural family of mammals including the giraffes.
Syn. -- family Giraffidae.
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girandola, girandole (jĭr�ndōl; 277), n. [F. See .] 1. An ornate ornamental branched candlestick, often with a mirror at the back. [wns=1]
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2. A flower stand, fountain, or the like, of branching form.
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3. (Pyrotechny) A kind of revolving firework.
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4. (Fort.) A series of chambers in defensive mines. Farrow.

{ Girasole Girasol } (?), n. [It. girasole, or F. girasol, fr. L. gyrare to turn around + sol sun.]
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1. (Bot.) See . [Obs.]
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2. (Min.) A variety of opal which is usually milk white, bluish white, or sky blue; but in a bright light it reflects a reddish color.
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Gird (gẽrd), n. [See a measure.]
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1. A stroke with a rod or switch; a severe spasm; a twinge; a pang.
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Conscience . . . is freed from many fearful girds and twinges which the atheist feels. Tillotson.
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2. A cut; a sarcastic remark; a gibe; a sneer.
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I thank thee for that gird, good Tranio. Shak.
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Gird, v. t. [See , n., and cf. , v.]
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1. To strike; to smite. [Obs.]
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To slay him and to girden off his head. Chaucer.
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2. To sneer at; to mock; to gibe.
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Being moved, he will not spare to gird the gods. Shak.
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Gird, v. i. To gibe; to sneer; to break a scornful jest; to utter severe sarcasms.
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Men of all sorts take a pride to gird at me. Shak.
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Gird (gẽrd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girt (?) or Girded; p. pr. & vb. n. Girding.] [OE. girden, gurden, AS. gyrdan; akin to OS. gurdian, D. gorden, OHG. gurten, G. gürten, Icel. gyrða, Sw. gjorda, Dan. giorde, Goth. bigaírdan to begird, and prob. to E. yard an inclosure. Cf. , n. & v., , v. t.] 1. To encircle or bind with any flexible band.
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2. To make fast, as clothing, by binding with a cord, girdle, bandage, etc.
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3. To surround; to encircle, or encompass.
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That Nyseian isle,
Girt with the River Triton.
Milton.
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4. To clothe; to swathe; to invest.
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I girded thee about with fine linen. Ezek. xvi. 10.
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The Son . . . appeared
Girt with omnipotence.
Milton.
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5. To prepare; to make ready; to equip; as, to gird one's self for a contest.
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Thou hast girded me with strength. Ps. xviii. 39.
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Coloq. To gird on , to put on; to fasten around or to one securely, like a girdle; as, to gird on armor or a sword.
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Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. 1 Kings xx. 11.
-- Coloq. To gird up , to bind tightly with a girdle; to support and strengthen, as with a girdle.
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He girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab. 1 Kings xviii. 46.
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Gird up the loins of your mind. 1 Pet. i. 13.
-- Coloq. 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.

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Girder (?), n. [From to sneer at.] One who girds; a satirist.
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Girder, n. [From to encircle.]
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1. One who, or that which, girds.
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2. (Arch. & Engin.) A main beam; a stright, horizontal beam to span an opening or carry weight, such as ends of floor beams, etc.; hence, a framed or built-up member discharging the same office, technically called a compound girder. See Illusts. of , and Doubleframed floor, under .
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Coloq. Bowstring girder , Coloq. Box girder , etc. See under , , etc. -- Coloq. Girder bridge . See under . -- Coloq. Lattice girder , a girder consisting of longitudinal bars united by diagonal crossing bars. -- Coloq. Half-lattice girder , a girder consisting of horizontal upper and lower bars connected by a series of diagonal bars sloping alternately in opposite directions so as to divide the space between the bars into a series of triangles. Knight. -- Coloq. Sandwich girder , a girder consisting of two parallel wooden beams, between which is an iron plate, the whole clamped together by iron bolts.
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Girding, n. That with which one is girded; a girdle.
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Instead of a stomacher, a girding of sackcloth. Is. iii. 24.
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Girdle (?), n. A griddle. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
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Girdle, n. [OE. gurdel, girdel, AS. gyrdel, fr. gyrdan; akin to D. gordel, G. gürtel, Icel. gyr�ill. See , v. t., to encircle, and cf. , n.]
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1. That which girds, encircles, or incloses; a circumference; a belt; esp., a belt, sash, or article of dress encircling the body usually at the waist; a cestus.
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Within the girdle of these walls. Shak.
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Their breasts girded with golden girdles. Rev. xv. 6.
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2. The zodiac; also, the equator. [Poetic] Bacon.
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From the world's girdle to the frozen pole. Cowper.
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That gems the starry girdle of the year. Campbell.
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3. (Jewelry) The line ofgreatest circumference of a brilliant-cut diamond, at which it is grasped by the setting. See Illust. of . Knight.
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4. (Mining) A thin bed or stratum of stone. Raymond.
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5. (Zoöl.) The clitellus of an earthworm.
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Coloq. Girdle bone (Anat.), the sphenethmoid. See under . -- Coloq. Girdle wheel , a spinning wheel. -- Coloq. Sea girdle (Zoöl.), a ctenophore. See Venus's girdle, under . -- Coloq. Shoulder , Coloq. Pectoral , and Coloq. Pelvic , Coloq. girdle . (Anat.) See under , and . -- Coloq. To have under the girdle , to have bound to one, that is, in subjection.
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Girdle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girdled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Girdling (?).] 1. To bind with a belt or sash; to gird. Shak.
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2. To inclose; to environ; to shut in.
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Those sleeping stones,
That as a waist doth girdle you about.
Shak.
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3. To make a cut or gnaw a groove around (a tree, etc.) through the bark and alburnum, thus killing it. [U. S.]
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Girdler (?), n. 1. One who girdles.
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2. A maker of girdles.
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3. (Zoöl.) An American longicorn beetle (Oncideres cingulatus) which lays its eggs in the twigs of the hickory, and then girdles each branch by gnawing a groove around it, thus killing it to provide suitable food for the larvæ.
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Girdlestead (?), n. [Girdle + stead place.]
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1. That part of the body where the girdle is worn. [Obs.]
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Sheathed, beneath his girdlestead. Chapman.
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2. The lap. [R.]
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There fell a flower into her girdlestead. Swinburne.
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Gire (?), n. [Obs.] See .
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Girkin (?), n. [Obs.] See .
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Girl (gẽrl), n. [OE. girle, gerle, gurle, a girl (in sense 1): cf. LG. gör child.]
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1. A young person of either sex; a child. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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2. A female child, from birth to the age of puberty; a young maiden.
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3. A female servant; a maidservant. [U. S.]
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4. (Zoöl.) A roebuck two years old. [Prov. Eng.]
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girlfriend n. 1. any female friend; as, Mary and her girlfriend organized the party. [wns=1]
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2. a girl or young woman with whom a man is romantically involved; as, his girlfriend kicked him out. [wns=2]
Syn. -- girl, lady friend.
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Girlhood (?), n. State or time of being a girl.
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Girlish, a. Like, or characteristic of, a girl; of or pertaining to girlhood; innocent; artless; immature; weak; as, girlish ways; girlish grief. -- Girlishly, adv. -- Girlishness, n.
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Girlond (?), n. [See , n.] A garland; a prize. [Obs.] Chapman.
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Girn (?), v. i. [See , n.] To grin. [Obs.]
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Girondist (?), n. [F. Girondiste.] A member of the moderate republican party formed in the French legislative assembly in 1791. The Girondists were so called because their leaders were deputies from the department of La Gironde.
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Girondist, a. Of or pertaining to the Girondists. [Written also Girondin.]
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Girrock (?), n. [Cf. Prov. F. chicarou.] (Zoöl.) A garfish. Johnson.
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Girru prop. n. (Babylonian mythology) The Babylonian god of fire; often invoked in incantations against sorcery.
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Girt (gẽrt), imp. & p. p. of .
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Girt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girted; p. pr. & vb. n. Girting.] [From , n., cf. , v.] To gird; to encircle; to invest by means of a girdle; to measure the girth of; as, to girt a tree.
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We here create thee the first duke of Suffolk,
And girt thee with the sword.
Shak.
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Girt, a. (Naut.) Bound by a cable; -- used of a vessel so moored by two anchors that she swings against one of the cables by force of the current or tide.
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