(Zool.) An American longicorn beetle (Oncideres cingulatus) which lays its eggs in the twigs of the hickory, and then girdles each branch by gnawing a groove around it, thus killing it to provide suitable food for the larvae.
... family in Kent, "a citizen and girdler of London," as his will declares, his brother (Nathaniel) later coming to New England and settling near Hatherly at Scituate. Nathaniel's son Joseph—named for his uncle—was made his executor and heir. The uncle was always a ... — The Mayflower and Her Log, Complete • Azel Ames