girt

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɡɜːt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɡɝt/
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t

Etymology 1

Alteration of girth (“belt, circumference, brace”).

Noun

girt (plural girts)

1. A horizontal structural member of post and beam architecture, typically attached to bridge two or more vertical members such as corner posts.
   • 2013, Rob Roy, “Basic Timber Frame Structure”, in Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction, Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers, →ISBN:

     There are various ways of tying rafters to sidewalls, and the choices may vary depending on roof pitch. One of the most common is the use of “birdsmouths” cut into the rafter. A notch is cut into the rafter so that the rafter bears down flat upon the doubled top plate of stick framing, or upon the girt in heavy timber framing.

Related terms

• girder

Etymology 2

From Middle English girten (“gird, encircle”).

Verb

girt (third-person singular simple present girts, present participle girting, simple past and past participle girted)

1. To gird.
2. To bind horizontally, as with a belt or girdle.
3. To measure the girth of.

Etymology 3

Verb

girt

1. simple past and past participle of gird
   • 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput), page 20:

     Eighty Poles, each of one Foot high, were erected for this purpoſe, and very ſtrong Cords of the bigneſs of Packthread were faſtned by Hooks to many Bandages, which the Workmen had girt round my Neck, my Hands, my Body, and my Legs.

Adjective

girt (not comparable)

1. (nautical) 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.

Verb

girt (third-person singular simple present girts, present participle girting, simple past and past participle girted)

1. (nautical) to capsize because of forces in the cable attaching it to another vessel.

Etymology 4

From Middle English girt, gert, a metathetic variant of gret (“great”). More at great.

Adjective

girt (not comparable)

1. (UK, rural dialect) Alternative spelling of gurt in the sense 'great'.

Anagrams

• Grit, grit, trig