1. The distance around something; the circumference.
2. Size; bulk: a person of large girth.
3. A strap encircling an animal's body in order to secure a load or saddle on its back; a cinch.

1. To measure the circumference of.
2. To encircle.
3. To secure with a girth.

[Middle English gerth, girth strap, from Old Norse gjördh, girdle.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.