I. ˈkȯ(ə)rd, -ȯ(ə)d noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda catgut, chord, cord, from Greek chordē — more at yarn
1.
a. : a long slender flexible roughly cylindrical construction usually of several threads or yarns twisted or woven together and used for tying, binding, or connecting : a small rope : string
b. : the hangman's rope
O, the charity of a penny cord — Shakespeare
c.
(1) : any of various strings for communicating motion in a pattern-weaving or a Jacquard loom
(2) : a space on a design paper representing a warp thread
d. : a heavy string used as a material (as in braid or cordonnet)
e. : any of the heavy strings or small hemp ropes usually four to six in number which extend across the backbone of a book, which are usually attached to the board of the cover and to which the sections are handsewn — called also band
f. : a heavy thread or firm yarn made by tightly twisting together two or more threads or plied yarns and used often in the manufacture of heavy-duty fabrics
g. : one of the round plies forming a multistrand thread
sewing thread is usually 3- cord or 6- cord
2. : a moral, spiritual, or emotional bond or influence by which one is held, drawn, or sustained as if by a cord
the interwoven cords of affection and confidence that wind between her and her husband — Roger Angell
3.
a. : an anatomical structure resembling a cord ; especially : tendon , nerve — see spermatic cord , spinal cord , umbilical cord , vocal cords
b. : a small flexible insulated electrical cable usually consisting of a pair of insulated stranded wires twisted together and having a plug at one or both ends used to connect a lamp, electric iron, toaster, or other appliance with a receptacle
c. : stria 3
4.
a. : any of various units of quantity for wood cut for fuel or pulp ; especially : a unit equal to a stack 4×4×8 foot or 128 cubic feet
b. : a unit for rough building stone equal to 128 cubic feet
5.
a. : a rib like a cord on a textile
b.
(1) : a fabric made with such ribs or a garment made of such a fabric — compare corduroy , whipcord
(2) cords plural : trousers made of such fabric
c. : cord tire
d. : a composition and fabric material used in the outsole of a work shoe or sport shoe
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English corden, from cord, n.
1. : to tie, bind, fasten, or connect with a cord
package already … corded lengthwise — R.V.Morse
2. : to pile up (as wood) in cords ; also : to pile deeply
rooms corded nine feet deep with gold and emeralds — Bernard De Voto
3. : to ornament or finish with cord
4. : to connect the treadles of (a hand loom) by cords with the leaves of the heddles so as to produce the pattern