Cordon /(kôr"dŏn; F. kôr`dôN")/

Cor·don

Cordon

n.
  1. A cord or ribbon bestowed or borne as a badge of honor; a broad ribbon, usually worn after the manner of a baldric, constituting a mark of a very high grade in an honorary order. Cf. Grand cordon.
  2. The cord worn by a Franciscan friar.
  3. The coping of the scarp wall, which projects beyong the face of the wall a few inches. (Fort.)
  4. A line or series of sentinels, or of military posts, inclosing or guarding any place or thing. (Mil.)
  5. A rich and ornamental lace or string, used to secure a mantle in some costumes of state.

Phrases & Compounds
‖Cordon sanitaire
a line of troops or military posts around a district infected with disease, to cut off communication, and thus prevent the disease from spreading. Also used figuratively, of a group of neutral states that forms a barrier between two hostile states.