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chaplet

[chap-lit]
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noun
  1. a wreath or garland for the head.
  2. a string of beads.
  3. Roman Catholic Church.
    1. a string of beads, one-third of the length of a rosary, for counting prayers.
    2. the prayers recited over this.
  4. Architecture. a small molding carved to resemble a string of beads; astragal.
  5. Metallurgy. an object for separating the core of a mold from a wall, composed of the same metal as the casting and forming an integral part of it.
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Origin of chaplet

1325–75; Middle English chapelet wreath < Old French. See chapeau, -et
Related formschap·let·ed, adjectiveun·chap·let·ed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rosary, diadem, garland, band, crown, ornament, fillet, bead, coronet, necklace, circle

Examples from the Web for chaplet

Historical Examples

  • He arose, as he spoke, and reverently placed the chaplet on the head of Plato.

    Philothea

    Lydia Maria Child

  • He twisted the chaplet so that the beads bit deeply into his fingers.

  • Immediately after the battle the Thebans sent a messenger to Athens wearing a chaplet.

    Hellenica

    Xenophon

  • The humming of the harps ceased and the chaplet of iron that bound her brow relaxed.

    Melomaniacs

    James Huneker

  • But for the absurdity of it, he could have woven a chaplet of them and worn it.

British Dictionary definitions for chaplet

chaplet

noun
  1. an ornamental wreath of flowers, beads, etc, worn on the head
  2. a string of beads or something similar
  3. RC Church
    1. a string of prayer beads constituting one third of the rosary
    2. the prayers counted on this string
  4. a narrow convex moulding in the form of a string of beads; astragal
  5. a metal support for the core in a casting mould, esp for the core of a cylindrical pipe
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Derived Formschapleted, adjective

Word Origin

C14: from Old French chapelet garland of roses, from chapel hat; see chapeau
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for chaplet

n.

late 14c., from Old French chapelet (Old North French capelet) "garland, rosary," properly "a small hat," diminutive of chape, chapeau "headdress, hood, hat" (see chapeau).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper