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girt

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girt¹

  • /ɡɜːt/ UK
  • /ɡɝt/ US

Sounds like gurt, gert · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t

Where it comes from

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

noun girts

  1. A horizontal structural member of post and beam architecture, typically attached to bridge two or more vertical members such as corner posts. 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 g

girt²

  • /ɡɜːt/ UK
  • /ɡɝt/ US

Sounds like gurt, gert · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t

Where it comes from

Inherited from Middle English girten (“gird, encircle”).

verb girts · girting · girted

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

girt³

  • /ɡɜːt/ UK
  • /ɡɝt/ US

Sounds like gurt, gert · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t

verb

  1. participle, past simple past and past participle of gird 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

  1. not comparable 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 girts · girting · girted

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

girt⁴

  • /ɡɜːt/ UK
  • /ɡɝt/ US

Sounds like gurt, gert · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t

Where it comes from

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

adjective

  1. UK, alternative, not comparable Alternative spelling of gurt in the sense 'great'

girt⁵

  • /ɡɜːt/ UK
  • /ɡɝt/ US

Sounds like gurt, gert · Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)t

Where it comes from

Ellipsis of girt by sea, from the Australian National Anthem

adjective more girt · most girt

  1. Australia (Of a country) To by surrounded by sea. Americans being so mad about Australia being better in the olympic swimming is soooooo good like you guys aren't even girt how can you think for a second you make for good competition?

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Cite this
MLA

"girt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/girt. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

girt. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/girt

Chicago

"girt." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/girt.

BibTeX
@misc{girt_2026,
  title = {girt},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/girt},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}