Circlet

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈsɜː(ɹ)klət/

Definitions

1. A small circular band or ring worn as an ornament on the head or finger, or a circular arrangement of objects forming a complete loop
2. A narrow ring-shaped item typically worn around the head or finger as an adornment
3. A tiny circular band used as an ornamental accessory on the forehead or finger

Etymology: "Circlet" is a small circle with a little extra weight to it: it comes from Middle French "cerclet," a diminutive of "cercle," meaning "circle." The French ending "-et" marks something as small, so a "cerclet" is literally a little circle. English borrowed the term from French, and it has kept that literal sense, describing a slim ring worn on the head, most often as a delicate ornament, or a narrow band worn on a finger. The word's shape tells the whole story. "Cercle" itself came into French from Latin "circulus," the diminutive of "circus," meaning "ring" or "circle," so the word has been shrinking its own meaning by adding diminutives for centuries. English speakers simply took the small-circle idea and applied it to jewelry and headbands, so the object and its name stayed nearly identical from start to finish.

Synonyms: ring, band