I. ˈkȯr-d ə n, -ˌdän noun
Etymology: French, diminutive of corde cord
Date: 15th century
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 cordon of police
3. : 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 cordon around — usually used with off
police cordon ed off the area around the crime scene