English
girdle
Girdle comes from Old English gyrdel ‘belt’, from Proto-Germanic *gurdijaną ‘to gird’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- ‘to enclose, to encircle’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰerdʰ-‘to enclose, to encircle’root as named
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurdijaną‘to gird’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurdilaz‘girdle, belt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gurdilreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gyrdel‘belt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500girdel
- Englishearliest quotation 1599girdle
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰerdʰ-‘to enclose, to encircle’root as named
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurdijaną‘to gird’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*gurdilaz‘girdle, belt’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*gurdilreconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150gyrdel‘belt’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500girdel
- Englishearliest quotation 1599girdle
Earliest quotation: 1599, William Shakespeare, The Life of Henry the Fift: “Suppose within the girdle of these walls Are now…”
Formed from gird + -le
Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- ‘to enclose, to encircle’
Proto-Germanic *gurdijaną ‘to gird’
Old English gyrdan ‘to put a belt around, to put a girdle around’
Middle English girden
English gird
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- ‘to enclose, to encircle’
urban, garden, yard, garth, hangar, jardin, girth, gord, 11 more
Today it means
noun That which girds, encircles, or encloses; a circumference.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- / girdle