Aglets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Protective finishes at the tips of laces to prevent fraying and facilitate threading through eyelets
2. Small coverings attached to the ends of shoelaces or cords to keep them from unraveling and to make threading easier
3. Narrow caps fixed on the extremities of laces or strings that stop them from fraying and help guide them through holes

Etymology: "Aglets" is the plural of "aglet," the small tip or sheath on a lace's end. The singular came into Middle English as "aglet," "aglett," or "agglot," borrowed from Old French "aguillete," a diminutive of "aguille," meaning "needle." The metal or fabric sheath was named for its resemblance to a little needle, which is also why it does the same job: it stiffens the end of the cord so it can be pushed through an eyelet. The word is a doublet of "aiglet" and "aiguillette," two other English words that came from the same French source. "Aiguillette" survived in military and ceremonial use for the braided cord worn on uniforms, showing that the same French diminutive could be applied to different kinds of tagged or pointed ends.