Aigulet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small metal or plastic sheath fixed to the end of a shoelace or cord to prevent fraying
2. An ornamental or protective tip placed on the end of a cord or lace to keep it from unraveling
3. A tapered tube attached to a lace's end that aids in threading and stops the fibers from coming apart

Etymology: "Aigulet" is an obsolete spelling of "aglet", the tiny sheath on the end of a lace. The spelling tells the story: it reflects the French word it came from, which was spelled with the "ui" that English later dropped. The ultimate source is the Old French "aguillete", a diminutive of "aguille", meaning "needle" (from Latin "acucula", a small needle). A lace tip, after all, is shaped like a little needle, and the sheath works like one, slipping through the eyelet. The word reached English in Middle English as "aglet", "aglett" and "agglot", all variant spellings of the same thing. "Aiglet" and "aiguillette" are its doublets, meaning the same word that came into English by a different route, so "aiguillette" survives today as a term for a braided ornamental cord on a military uniform. Those shared spellings show how the Old French original kept reappearing in English.