The participle ξυζωσαμένας (from ξυζώννυμι, 'to gird up') is metrically unusual in its form here; while the verb typically appears as ξυστῶ or in other compound forms in comedy, the specific aorist passive participle form with the contracted -σα- is rare in Aristophanes and likely reflects a metrical adjustment to fit the iambic trimeter, or potentially a textual corruption where the expected form might be ξυστῶν or a different contraction. The phrase describes women preparing for the Thesmophoria by girding themselves, but the specific morphology of ξυζωσαμένας invites scrutiny as a possible crux in the manuscript tradition, with some editors suggesting alternative readings to resolve the metrical or morphological irregularity.