girt

Etymology 1

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

noun

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 girt in heavy timber framing. 2013, Rob Roy, “Basic Timber Frame Structure”, in Timber Framing for the Rest of Us: A Guide to Contemporary Post and Beam Construction, Gabriola Island, B.C.: New Society Publishers

Etymology 2

From Middle English girten (“gird, encircle”).

verb

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

Etymology 3

verb

1. simple past and past participle of gird

adj

1. (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.

verb

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

Etymology 4

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

adj

1. (UK, rural dialect) Alternative spelling of gurt in the sense 'great'.