Main Entry:

¹cor·don

Pronunciation:

\ˈkȯr-d^ən, -ˌdän\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, diminutive of corde cord

Date:

15th century

1 a: an ornamental cord or ribbon b: stringcourse2 a: a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage b: a line of persons or objects around a person or place <a cordon of police>3: an espalier especially of a fruit tree trained as a single horizontal shoot or two diverging horizontal shoots in a single line