girth
/ɡɝθ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.92 in modern English
9
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
Example Sentences
- "He was standing on the offside of his horse, holding up the flap of his saddle, with the surcingle loosened, and was pointing to the girths. Close to their attachment to the saddle they had been almost cut through with a knife."
- "He's a lusty, jolly fellow, that lives well, at least three yards in the girth."
Etymology
From Middle English girth, gerth, gyrth, from Old Norse gjǫrð, from Proto-Germanic *gerdō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to encircle, enclose; belt”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌳𐌰 (gairda), Icelandic gjörð. Also related to German Gurt, English gird, Albanian ngërthej (“to tie, bind, fasten”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *gʰerdʰ-, girth, gjǫrð, *gerdō
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ɡɝθ/
- British English: /ɡɜːθ/