cordon
pronunciation
How to pronounce cordon in British English:
UK [ˈkɔ:dn]
How to pronounce cordon in American English:
US [ˈkɔrdn]
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- Noun:
- cord or ribbon worn as an insignia of honor or rank
- adornment consisting of an ornamental ribbon or cord
Word Origin
- cordon (n.)
- mid-15c., "cord or ribbon worn as an ornament," from Middle French cordon "ribbon," diminutive of Old French corde "cord" (see cord). Sense of "a line of people or things guarding something" is 1758. Original sense preserved in cordon bleu (1727) "the highest distinction," literally "blue ribbon," for the sky-blue ribbon worn by the Knights-grand-cross of the Holy Ghost (highest order of chivalry); extended figuratively to other persons of distinction, especially, jocularly, to a first-rate cook. Cordon sanitaire (1857), from French, a guarded line between infected and uninfected districts.
- cordon (v.)
- 1560s, "to ornament with a ribbon;" 1891 as "to guard with a cordon;" from cordon (n.). Related: Cordoned; cordoning.
Example
- 1. Scotland yard said a cordon was used because missiles were being thrown at officers .
- 2. Government troops , tanks and armoured cars are enforcing a forbidding cordon around the desert circuit .
- 3. Armed police moved the onlookers beyond a cordon as paramilitary troops moved in on the building .
- 4. The violent attempts to break through the police cordon were led by male youths , many from anarchist groups but many ordinary russians were refusing to leave the site of the protest too .
- 5. It has used the pretext of an alleged terrorist threat to impose a restrictive security cordon on the city and curtail visas even for harmless businessmen .