garter

[gahr-ter] /ˈgɑr tər/
noun
1.
Also called, British, sock suspender, suspender. an article of clothing for holding up a stocking or sock, usually an elastic band around the leg or an elastic strap hanging from a girdle or other undergarment.
2.
a similar band worn to hold up a shirt sleeve.
3.
a leather strap for passing through a loop at the back of a boot and buckling around the leg to keep the boot from slipping.
4.
British.
  1. the badge of the Order of the Garter.
  2. membership in the Order.
  3. (initial capital letter) the Order itself.
  4. (usually initial capital letter) a member of the Order.
verb (used with object)
5.
to fasten with a garter.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English < Old North French gartier, derivative of garet the bend of the knee < Celtic; compare Welsh gar shank, Breton gâr leg
Related forms
garterless, adjective
ungarter, verb (used with object)
Examples from the web for garter
  • And other snakes are set to join the ranks of the sequenced, including the garter snake, the rattlesnake and the king cobra.
  • Most of the book is devoted to a cataloguing of bridal accoutrements: the dress, the garter, the groom.
  • Ten hibernating garter snakes coiled beneath a rock, eyelids sealed, tongues stilled.
  • It also changes hands easily, tucks neatly into garter belts, and crosses borders without leaving any traces.
  • One of our cats, one winter, discovered where the garter snakes were hibernating.
  • He wore his collar and orders, his blue ribbon and garter.
  • Use a piece of elastic from her garter to fix a wire.
  • Reptiles and amphibians include snapping turtles, garter snakes and red-backed salamanders.
  • His garter clasps, his suspender buckles, and even his underwear were ornamented with jewels.
  • Temperature effects on spontaneous and evoked neural activity in the garter snake.
British Dictionary definitions for garter

garter

/ˈɡɑːtə/
noun
1.
a band, usually of elastic, worn round the arm or leg to hold up a shirtsleeve, sock, or stocking
2.
(US & Canadian)
  1. an elastic strap attached to a belt or corset having a fastener at the end, for holding up women's stockings
  2. a similar fastener attached to a garter belt worn by men in order to support socks Also called (in Britain and certain other countries) suspender
3.
have someone's guts for garters, See gut (sense 10)
verb
4.
(transitive) to fasten, support, or secure with or as if with a garter
Word Origin
C14: from Old Northern French gartier, from garet bend of the knee, probably of Celtic origin

Garter

/ˈɡɑːtə/
noun the Garter
1.
See Order of the Garter
2.
(sometimes not capital)
  1. the badge of this Order
  2. membership of this Order
Word Origin and History for garter
n.

early 14c., from Old North French gartier "band just above or below the knee" (Old French jartier, 14c., Modern French jarretière), from garet "bend of the knee," perhaps from Gaulish (cf. Welsh garr "leg"). Garter as the highest order of knighthood (mid-14c.), according to Froissart was established c.1344 by Edward III, though the usual story of how it came about is late (1614) and perhaps apocryphal. The verb is mid-15c., from the noun. Garter snake (U.S.) so called from resemblance to a ribbon. Garter belt first noticed 1913.