English
girthline
From girth + line.
Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- ‘to encircle, enclose’
Proto-Germanic *gerdō ‘girdle’
Old Norse gjǫrð ‘belt, girdle, saddle girth’
Middle English girth
English girth
Proto-Germanic *līną ‘flax’
Proto-Germanic *līnǭ ‘line’
Proto-West Germanic *līnā ‘line’
Old English līne ‘line’
Middle English line ‘rope’
English line
Today it means
noun The circumference of an animal, measured under the belly and over the back; the part of the animal over which the girth fits.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / girthline