belt

belt n

OE < L.

  1. Flexible strap; accessory that binds clothing on a person; flat band of leather around the waist; [fig.] restraint; control; restriction; limitation; constraint; manacle; [metaphor] vow of seclusion; covenant setting a person apart from others.
  2. Channel; strait; narrow passage; [fig.] river; stream of water.
  3. Sash; girdle; waistband; cummerbund; narrow strip of material.
  4. Region; district; tract; zone; continuous series of objects; [fig.] Milky Way; sector of space.
  5. Flat circulating strap between wheels; narrow band for communicating motion to gears; [fig.] cognition; mental process.

belt [belted] v

see belt, n.

  1. Gird; cinch; secure; encircle; surround; encompass; [fig.] rooted; overgrown.
  2. Seal with a kiss; surround with the mouth; [fig.] close; press shut; fasten down after death.