Definition

1. Verb:
   • To encircle or surround: "engird" means to form a circle around something; to encompass or gird about.
   • To fasten or secure with a belt or band: In a more literal sense, it can mean to put a girdle or belt around something.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The ancient wall still engirds the old city. (The wall encircles the city completely.)
  • She engirded her waist with a golden sash. (She fastened a sash around her waist.)
  • A dense forest engirds the lake, making it difficult to approach. (The forest surrounds the lake on all sides.)

Advanced Usage

• "to engird oneself with": to surround or equip oneself with something, often metaphorically.
  • He engirded himself with loyal advisors. (He surrounded himself with trusted people.)
  • The town engirded itself with fortifications for protection. (The town built defensive walls around itself.)

Variants and Related Words

• Engirdle (verb): a variant of "engird", meaning to encircle with a girdle or belt.
  • The knight engirdled his sword before battle. (He fastened his sword belt.)
• Engirt (verb, past tense or participle): having been surrounded or encircled.
  • The castle was engirt by a moat. (The castle was surrounded by a moat.)
• Gird (verb): to encircle or bind with a belt; to prepare for action.
  • He girded his loins for the journey. (He prepared himself for the trip.)

Synonyms

• Encircle: to form a circle around.
  • The troops encircled the enemy camp. (They surrounded it.)
• Surround: to be all around something.
  • The garden is surrounded by a high fence. (The fence encloses it.)
• Encompass: to include or surround entirely.
  • The project encompasses many different tasks. (It includes them all.)
• Gird: to encircle or bind with a belt; often used in a figurative sense.
  • The city is girded by mountains. (The mountains surround it.)

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms