Bracelets

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Decorative bands worn around the wrist often made of metal, plastic, or other materials
2. Fashion accessories encircling the wrist to enhance appearance or style
3. Circular ornaments worn on the wrist used as jewelry or personal adornment

Etymology: "Bracelets" is the plural of "bracelet", and the singular has a neat anatomical origin. It comes from Old French "bracelet", a diminutive of "bras", meaning "arm". So a bracelet is, at root, a little arm: the word simply shrinks the limb down to the piece of jewellery that sits on it. The Old French "bras" traces back to Latin "brachium", the same word that gives English terms like brachial, the upper arm. The "-et" ending is the familiar French diminutive, the same kind of suffix that turns "fille" into "fillette" (girl into little girl). English borrowed the French form, so the wrist ornament's name was built around the arm rather than the hand.

Synonyms: wristbands, bangles