aglet

American  

[ag-lit] / ˈæg lɪt /

Also aiglet

noun

1. a metal or plastic tag or sheath at the end of a lace used for tying, as of a shoelace.

2. (in the 16th and 17th centuries) an ornament at the end of a point or other ribbon used to secure a garment.

3. aiguillette.

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aglet British  

/ ˈæɡlɪt /

noun

1. a metal sheath or tag at the end of a shoelace, ribbon, etc

2. a variant spelling of aiguillette

3. any ornamental pendant

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Etymology

Origin of aglet

1400–50; late Middle English < Middle French aiguillette, equivalent to aiguille needle ( aiguille ) + -ette -et

Example Sentences

Humans -- and all mammals -- have a certain set of proteins that are the primary components of shelterin, the "aglet" of the chromosome.

From Science Daily

“If you think about the lace, if you have the lace so that it’s lying out on the shoe, the aglet — the plastic tip of the shoelace — can produce points of abrasion,” she said.

From Washington Post

Finish off your sneaker with your choice of laces, varnish, and even the aglets, the metal pieces at the end of the laces.

From Salon

Until then, and even through the early years of the 21st century, most hair ties were usually fastened together with metal aglets; those who can remember using them are wincing right now.

From Washington Post

Some of the gaps were on telomeres, the caps at the ends of chromosomes that have often been compared to the aglets that protect the ends of shoelaces.

From Washington Post