cordon

Noun

WordNet 3.0

Noun (3)

  1. a series of sentinels or of military posts enclosing or guarding some place or thing
  2. cord or ribbon worn as an insignia of honor or rank
  3. adornment consisting of an ornamental ribbon or cord
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Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)

Cordon \Cor"don\ (k[^o]r"d[o^]n; F. k[^o]r`d[^o]N"), n. [F., fr. corde. See Cord.]

1.A cord or ribbon bestowed or borne as a badge of honor; a broad ribbon, usually worn after the manner of a baldric, constituting a mark of a very high grade in an honorary order. Cf. Grand cordon. [1913 Webster]

2.The cord worn by a Franciscan friar. --Sir E. Sandys. [1913 Webster]

3.(Fort.) The coping of the scarp wall, which projects beyong the face of the wall a few inches. [1913 Webster]

4.(Mil.) A line or series of sentinels, or of military posts, inclosing or guarding any place or thing. [1913 Webster]

5.A rich and ornamental lace or string, used to secure a mantle in some costumes of state. [1913 Webster]

Cordon sanitaire (k?r`d?n" s?`n?`t?r") [F., sanitary cordon], a line of troops or military posts around a district infected with disease, to cut off communication, and thus prevent the disease from spreading. Also used figuratively, of a group of neutral states that forms a barrier between two hostile states. [1913 Webster]

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