cordon

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: cor=don

CIDE DICTIONARY

cordon, n. [F., fr. corde. See Cord.].

•  A cord or ribbon bestowed or borne as a badge of honor; a broad ribbon, usually worn after the manner of a baldric, constituting a mark of a very high grade in an honorary order. Cf. Grand cordon.  [1913 Webster]
•  The cord worn by a Franciscan friar.  Sir E. Sandys.  [1913 Webster]
•  The coping of the scarp wall, which projects beyong the face of the wall a few inches.  [1913 Webster]
•  A line or series of sentinels, or of military posts, inclosing or guarding any place or thing.  [1913 Webster]
•  A rich and ornamental lace or string, used to secure a mantle in some costumes of state.  [1913 Webster]

∥Cordon sanitaire (kd" s [F., sanitary cordon], a line of troops or military posts around a district infected with disease, to cut off communication, and thus prevent the disease from spreading. Also used figuratively, of a group of neutral states that forms a barrier between two hostile states.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cordon, n. & v.
--n.
1 a line or circle of police, soldiers, guards, etc., esp. preventing access to or from an area.
2 a an ornamental cord or braid. b the ribbon of a knightly order.
3 a fruit-tree trained to grow as a single stem.
4 Archit. a string-course.
--v.tr. (often foll. by off) enclose or separate with a cordon of police etc.

Etymology

It. cordone augmentative of corda CORD, & F cordon (as CORD)

THESAURUS

cordon

advance guard, armed guard, bank guard, beleaguer, beset, besiege, block, blockade, blue ribbon, bolt, bottleneck, bound, box in, cage, catch, chamber, close in, coast guard, compass, contain, coop, coop in, coop up, cordon bleu, cordon off, cordon sanitaire, cordoning off, corral, cull out, curtain, decoration, decoration of honor, determent, deterrent, difficulty, divide, drawback, encircle, enclose, encompass, enshrine, fence in, garrison, garter, ghettoize, gin, goalie, goalkeeper, goaltender, gold star, grand cordon, guard, guarder, guardsman, hang-up, hazard, hedge in, hem in, hitch, house in, hurdle, impound, imprison, incarcerate, include, inlying picket, insulate, isolate, isolation, jail, jailer, joker, keep apart, keep aside, kennel, lay aside, leaguer, mew, mew up, objection, obstacle, obstruction, obstructive, one small difficulty, order, ornament, outguard, outpost, pen, pen in, pick out, picket, pocket, put aside, quarantine, quarantine flag, rail in, rear guard, red ribbon, riband, ribbon, riddle, rope off, rub, sanitary cordon, screen, seal off, seclude, seclusion, security guard, segregate, segregation, separate, separation, set apart, set aside, shrine, shut in, shut up, sieve, sift, snag, sort out, stable, star, stumbling block, stumbling stone, surround, thrash, thresh, train guard, van, vanguard, wall in, warder, winnow, wrap, yard, yard up, yellow flag, yellow jack

ROGET THESAURUS

cordon

Title

N title, honor, knighthood, highness, excellency, grace, lordship, worship, reverence, reverend, esquire, sir, master, Mr, signor, senor, Mein Herr, mynheer, your honor, his honor, serene highness, handle to one's name, decoration, laurel, palm, wreath, garland, bays, medal, ribbon, riband, blue ribbon, cordon, cross, crown, coronet, star, garter, feather, feather in one's cap, epaulet, epaulette, colors, cockade, livery, order, arms, shield, scutcheon, reward.

Outline

N outline, circumference, perimeter, periphery, ambit, circuit, lines tournure, contour, profile, silhouette, bounds, coast line, zone, belt, girth, band, baldric, zodiac, girdle, tyre, cingle, clasp, girt, cordon, circlet.

Inclosure

N inclosure, envelope, case, wrapper, girdle, pen, fold, pen fold, in fold, sheep fold, paddock, pound, corral, yard, net, seine net, wall, hedge, hedge row, espalier, fence, pale, paling, balustrade, rail, railing, quickset hedge, park paling, circumvallation, enceinte, ring fence, barrier, barricade, gate, gateway, bent, dingle, door, hatch, cordon, prison, dike, dyke, ditch, fosse, moat.

Circularity

N circularity, roundness, rotundity, circle, circlet, ring, areola, hoop, roundlet, annulus, annulet, bracelet, armlet, ringlet, eye, loop, wheel, cycle, orb, orbit, rundle, zone, belt, cordon, band, contrate wheel, crown wheel, hub, nave, sash, girdle, cestus, cincture, baldric, fillet, fascia, wreath, garland, crown, corona, coronet, chaplet, snood, necklace, collar, noose, lasso, lassoo, ellipse, oval, ovule, ellipsoid, cycloid, epicycloid, epicycle, semicircle, quadrant, sextant, sector, sphere, round, rounded, circular, annular, orbicular, oval, ovate, elliptic, elliptical, egg-shaped, pear-shaped, cycloidal, spherical, I watched the little circles die.