Alteration ofgirth(“belt, circumference, brace”).
girt (pluralgirts)
- Ahorizontalstructural member of post and beamarchitecture, typically attached to bridge two or more vertical members such as corner posts.
2013, Rob Roy, “Basic Timber Frame Structure”, inTimber 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 thegirt in heavy timber framing.
FromMiddle Englishgirten(“gird, encircle”).
girt (third-person singular simple presentgirts,present participlegirting,simple past and past participlegirted)
- Togird.
- Tobindhorizontally, as with abelt orgirdle.
- To measure the girth of.
girt
- simplepast andpastparticiple ofgird
1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author Gives Some Account of Himself and Family, His First Inducements to Travel. […]”, inTravels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume I, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […],→OCLC, part I (A Voyage to Lilliput),page20: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 hadgirt round my Neck, my Hands, my Body, and my Legs.
girt (notcomparable)
- (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.
girt (third-person singular simple presentgirts,present participlegirting,simple past and past participlegirted)
- (nautical) tocapsize because of forces in thecable attaching it to another vessel.
FromMiddle Englishgirt,gert, ametathetic variant ofgret(“great”). More atgreat.
girt (notcomparable)
- (UK, rural dialect)Alternative spelling ofgurt in the sense 'great'.
