Present participle of engirdle; the act of wrapping around or encircling.
From engirdle plus the -ing suffix, which creates the present participle and gerund forms in English, dating back to Old English -ung.
The -ing form is one of the most productive suffixes in English, turning any verb into a noun or continuous action—'engirdling' could theoretically work, but almost no one uses this archaic verb anymore!
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