# girth

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɜːθ/ · frequency rank #32,010

## Definitions
1. A band passed under the belly of an animal, which holds a saddle or a harness saddle in place.
2. The part of an animal around which the girth fits.
3. One's waistline circumference, most often a large one.
4. A small horizontal brace or girder.
5. The distance measured around an object; the circumference.
6. The length of the shortest cycle in a graph.

## Etymology
From Middle English girth, gerth, gyrth, from Old Norse gjǫrð, from Proto-Germanic *gerdō, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰerdʰ- (“to encircle, enclose; belt”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌲𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌳𐌰 (gairda), Icelandic gjörð. Also related to German Gurt, English gird, Albanian ngërthej (“to tie, bind, fasten”).

## Easily confused with
- **git** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-git)
- **grt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-grt)
- **goth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-goth)
- **gist** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-gist)
- **Gita** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-gita)
- **giveth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girth-vs-giveth)
- **girl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girl-vs-girth)
- **gift** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gift-vs-girth)
- **gilt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gilt-vs-girth)
- **giro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/giro-vs-girth)
- **gert** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gert-vs-girth)
- **girls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girls-vs-girth)
- **gifts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gifts-vs-girth)
- **garth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/garth-vs-girth)
- **girly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/girly-vs-girth)
- **Gareth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gareth-vs-girth)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ggirth`, `girht`, `girrth`, `girthh`, `girtth`, `gitrh`, `grith`, `igrth`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/girth