green belt

The Nidda river flowing through the Frankfurter Grüngürtel (Frankfurt Green Belt; sense 1.3.2) surrounding Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany.

Coloured belts used in budo or Japanese martial arts, with a green belt (sense 2.1) in the centre.

From green (adjective) +‎ belt (“band worn around the waist; thing resembling a belt, a strip or stripe”).^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡriːn bɛlt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡrin ˌbɛlt/

• Audio (General American):

  (file)

green belt (plural green belts) (also attributively)

1. Senses relating to an area of land with plants on it.
   1. A strip of land with plants in a place which is otherwise bare.
   2. A strip of land on which trees are planted to protect against desertification, soil erosion, etc.
   3. (urban studies)
      1. A strip of land next to a building, open space, road, etc., with plants on it, intended for exercise or recreation.
      3. (chiefly British) An area of agricultural land around an urban area that is protected from large-scale building.

         Synonym: (New Zealand) town belt

         • 2012, Andrew Martin, “Enter Yerkes”, in Underground Overground: A Passenger’s History of the Tube, London: Profile Books, →ISBN, page 149:

           The LCC [London County Council] would initiate the campaign for the Green Belt, which the men at the top of London Transport would support.

2. (martial arts)
   2. A belt which is green in colour worn by a person who has achieved a certain (usually intermediate) level of skill in a martial art, especially judo or karate; also, the level of skill represented by this belt.

      Coordinate terms: black belt, white belt

      • 1995, Elmar T. Schmeisser, “The University Dojo: Teaching a Traditional Martial Art in a Nontraditional Setting”, in Carol A. Wiley, editor, Martial Arts Teachers on Teaching (Io Series; 53), Berkeley, Calif.: Frog, North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 129:

        When the club is fully developed and has a reasonable spectrum of ranks in it, the training schedule should be stable to encourage the habit of training. […] The advanced (above green belt) class meets for an additional hour, three times per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday).

      • 2011, Yvonne Cruz, “Cruz Karate Studios”, in Grandmaster Freddie G. Cruz: Biography of a True Legend in the Martial Arts World, [S.l.]: Bookemon, →ISBN, page 217:

        He estimates it was around 1964 when the Japanese stylists of karate brought in the green belt to bridge the gap between white and brown.

      • 2014 October, Sharit Sinha, “The Revelation”, in Blood Rush, 3rd edition, [S.l.]: Sharit Sinha, published December 2017, →ISBN, page 36:

        Any green belt martial artist could've done that. Because they were just ordinary goons, hired guns.

   3. A person who has earned the rank of green belt in a martial art.

      Coordinate terms: black belt, white belt

      • 2012, Noel C., “What Karate Means to Me”, in Tom Hill, editor, Essays for Black Belt, Luton, Bedfordshire: Andrews UK, →ISBN, page 22:

        After a month I distinctly remember one of the ‘green belts’ giving me a thorough but gentle working over in one of the sparring sessions, I was impressed not just with his ability to defeat me, but with the ease with which he did it.