loin

[loin] /lɔɪn/
noun
1.
Usually, loins. the part or parts of the human body or of a quadruped animal on either side of the spinal column, between the false ribs and hipbone.
2.
a cut of meat from this region of an animal, especially a portion including the vertebrae of such parts.
3.
loins.
  1. the parts of the body between the hips and the lower ribs, especially regarded as the seat of physical strength and generative power.
  2. the genital and pubic area; genitalia.
Idioms
4.
gird (up) one's loins, to prepare oneself for something requiring readiness, strength, or endurance:
He girded his loins to face his competitor.
Origin
1275-1325; Middle English loyne < Middle French lo(i)gne, perhaps < Vulgar Latin *lumbea, noun use of feminine of *lumbeus of the loins, equivalent to Latin lumb(us) loin + -eus -eous
British Dictionary definitions for gird one's loins

loin

/lɔɪn/
noun
1.
(anatomy) Also called lumbus. the part of the lower back and sides between the pelvis and the ribs related adjective lumbar
2.
a cut of meat from this part of an animal
See also loins
Word Origin
C14: from Old French loigne, perhaps from Vulgar Latin lumbra (unattested), from Latin lumbus loin
Word Origin and History for gird one's loins

loin

n.

early 14c., "side of the body of an animal used for food," from Old French loigne "hip, haunch, lumbar region," from Vulgar Latin *lumbea, from *lumbea caro "meat of the loin," from fem. of *lumbeus, adjective used as a noun, from Latin lumbus "loin" (see lumbago).

Replaced Old English lendenu "loins," from Proto-Germanic *landwin- (cf. German Lende "loin," Lenden "loins;" Old High German lenti, Old Saxon lendin, Middle Dutch lendine, Dutch lende, Old Norse lend).

The Latin word perhaps was borrowed from a Germanic source. In reference to the living human body, it is attested from late 14c. In Biblical translations, often used for "that part of the body that should be covered and about which the clothes are bound" (1520s). Related: Loins.

gird one's loins in Medicine

loin (loin)
n.
The part of the body on either side of the spinal column between the ribs and the pelvis.

Idioms and Phrases with gird one's loins

gird one's loins

Also, gird up one's loins. Prepare oneself for action, as in I'm girding up my loins for that crucial interview. This expression comes from the Bible (Proverbs 31:17) and originally alluded to tucking up the traditional long robe into a girdle (that is, a belt) so it will not hamper physical activity. [ c. 1600 ]

loin

see: gird one's loins