cinctus

Cinctus is a Latin term meaning belt, girdle, or band. It is derived from the verb cingere, “to gird, surround,” and appears in classical and later Latin to describe a belt worn to secure clothing or carry items, and to indicate that a person is girded or belted.

In antiquity, a cinctus could be a simple waist belt or a decorative band worn over the tunic. Roman soldiers used belts to secure their tunics and weapons, and belts could be elaborately decorated to reflect status or function. The term also figures in descriptions of dress and social signifiers, contrasting belted garments with those left unbelted.

In modern usage, cinctus survives primarily as a root in scholarly discussions of clothing and in anatomical terminology. In anatomy, the concept of bodily girdles—such as the pectoral girdle (shoulder girdle) and the pelvic girdle—reflects the same basic idea of structures that connect limbs to the trunk, though these terms are typically expressed in English or Latin-derived forms rather than the solitary noun cinctus.

The word remains a reference point in studies of dress, historical costume, and anatomical nomenclature, illustrating how the idea of a belt or girdle has persisted across languages and disciplines.

See also cingulum, cincture.