[cor.don] n [F, dim. of corde cord] (15c) 1 a: an ornamental cord or ribbon b: stringcourse
2. a: a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage b: a line of persons or objects around a person or place "a ~ of police"
3: an espalier esp. of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line
[2]cordon vt (1561): to form a protective or restrictive cordon around--usu. used with off