Oylet

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A small opening cut into a wall or fortification, often narrow enough to look through or shoot through
2. An archaic term for a narrow aperture in a castle wall, used for observing or firing at attackers
3. A little hole or slit in a defensive wall through which a person could peer or aim a weapon

Etymology: In English, an "oylet" was a small opening in a wall, such as a loophole through which a defender could fire, and the name simply means "little eye." It comes from Old French "oeillet," a diminutive of "oeil" ("eye"), which descends from Latin "oculus." The same root gives English "eyelet," the small hole that a lace passes through. The spelling "oylet" reflects how the French word was taken into English, with the "eye" sense of the root showing through the diminutive ending. Dates for the earliest English uses of this form are uncertain, so the medieval period is the safest general frame.