cord

Meaning

Noun

1. (countable) A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example).
2. (uncountable) Any quantity of such material when viewed as a mass or commodity.
3. (countable, uncountable) A small flexible electrical conductor composed of wires insulated separately or in bundles and assembled together usually with an outer cover; the electrical cord of a lamp, sweeper ((US) vacuum cleaner), or other appliance.
4. (countable, uncountable) A unit of measurement for firewood, equal to 128 cubic feet (4 × 4 × 8 feet), composed of logs and/or split logs four feet long and none over eight inches diameter. It is usually seen as a stack four feet high by eight feet long.
5. (countable, figuratively, uncountable) Any influence by which persons are caught, held, or drawn, as if by a cord.
6. (countable, uncountable) Any structure having the appearance of a cord, especially a tendon or nerve.
7. (alt-of, countable, dated, uncountable) Dated form of chord.
8. (alt-of, countable, misspelling, uncountable) Misspelling of chord, a cross-section measurement of an aircraft wing.

Verb

1. To furnish with cords.
2. To tie or fasten with cords.
3. To flatten a book during binding.
4. To arrange (wood, etc.) in a pile for measurement by the cord.

Synonyms

rope

🪢

string

🪢

thread

🧵

line

twine

cable

straw rope

lace

corduroy

chord

wire

tether

tie

whip

tendon

band

fibre

braid

electric cord

lanyard

strap

strand

ribbon

🎀

filament

fiber

thin rope

yarn

🧶

vein

chain

ligament

catgut

thong

tape

stria

striae

tissue

knot

🪢

shoelace

sinew

cording

hawser

rootlet

halter

flex

flag

code

clothesline

fetter

fathom

painter

🧑‍🎨

Translations

corde

🪢

Schnur

corda

🪢

cuerda

soga

🪢

cordón

corda

🪢

Seil

🪢

koord

🪢

cordone

Strick

spago

cordel

🪢

touw

🪢

Pronounced as (IPA)

/kɔɹd/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: corde

In summary

From Middle English corde, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerH- (“bowels, intestines”)). Doublet of chord and cuerda. More at yarn and hernia.