CORDON

I. noun Etymology: French, diminutive of corde cord Date: 15th century 1. an ornamental cord or ribbon, stringcourse , 2. a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage, a line of persons or objects around a person or place , an espalier especially of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line, II. transitive verb Date: 1561 to form a protective or restrictive ~ around