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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

Côr'don, n.

noun

(or kôr'dong), n. [Fr. & Sp. cordon, Pr. cordō, It. cordone, from corde, corda, chorda. See CORD.]

  1. A cord or ribbon bestowed or borne as a badge of honor.
  2. (Arch.) The edge of a stone on the outside of a building. Gwill.
  3. (Fort.) The coping of the scarp-wall, which projects beyond the face of the wall a few inches.
  4. (Mil.) A line or series of military posts.

Cordon sanitaire, a line of troops or military posts on the borders of a district of country infected with disease, to cut off communication, and thus prevent the disease from spreading.