cordon
a line of police, sentinels, military posts, warships, etc., enclosing or guarding an area.
a cord or braid worn for ornament or as a fastening.
a ribbon worn usually diagonally across the breast as a badge of a knightly or honorary order.
Fortification.
a projecting course of stones at the base of a parapet.
the coping of a scarp.
Architecture.
a stringcourse, especially one having little or no projection.
a cut-stone riser on a stepped ramp or the like.
a fruit tree or shrub trained to grow along a support or a series of such supports.
to surround or blockade with or as with a cordon (usually followed by off): The police cordoned off the street.
Origin of cordon
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use cordon in a sentence
A string cordons off the inside of the bus, but many strangers walking by climb onto the front hood for a photo-op.
Several jounralists tried to pass through the cordons, but in vain.
The fruit is all borne on the two parallel stems which are treated essentially the same as upright cordons.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. WaughCordons and espaliers require some sort of support, however, and where walls are not used trellises are necessary.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. WaughNothing less than eight feet will be satisfactory, and for upright cordons a trellis ten to fifteen feet high will be much better.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. Waugh
The upright and horizontal cordons may also be used, though neither of these forms is specially well adapted to pears.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. WaughThese may be in fact upright cordons which are trained with strong stems and allowed to support themselves without a trellis.
Dwarf Fruit Trees | F. A. Waugh
British Dictionary definitions for cordon
/ (ˈkɔːdən) /
a chain of police, soldiers, ships, etc, stationed around an area
a ribbon worn as insignia of honour or rank
a cord or ribbon worn as an ornament or fastening
Also called: string course, belt course, table architect an ornamental projecting band or continuous moulding along a wall
horticulture a form of fruit tree consisting of a single stem bearing fruiting spurs, produced by cutting back all lateral branches
(tr often foll by off) to put or form a cordon (around); close (off)
Origin of cordon
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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