/ ˈkɔːdn; NAmE ˈkɔːrdn/ noun , verb
■ noun
a line or ring of police officers, soldiers, etc. guarding sth or stopping people from entering or leaving a place :
Demonstrators broke through the police cordon.
■ verb
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PHRASAL VERBS
- cordon sth off
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (denoting an ornamental braid): from Italian cordone , augmentative of corda , and French cordon , diminutive of corde , both from Latin chorda string, rope, from Greek khordē gut, string of a musical instrument.