Aigulets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Decorative fringes or ornamental cords attached to military uniforms
2. Accoutrements often made of twisted threads that embellish the shoulder areas of ceremonial attire
3. Elaborate trimmings typically found on the garments of officers, serving both aesthetic and symbolic purposes

Etymology: "Aigulets" is a misspelling of "aiguillettes," the plural of "aiguillette." The French "aiguille" means needle, descending from Late Latin "acucula," a diminutive of "acus," needle. An aiguillette was thus a little needle-like point, originally the tagged end of a lace or cord. The same root gave English "aglet," the small sheath of metal or plastic that keeps a shoelace from fraying. English took it from Old French "aiglet," so the two words are doublets. The military cord and the shoelace tip thus share one ancestor, and the ornamental cord on an officer's shoulder was named after the same tag that finishes a lace.

Synonyms: shoulder decorations