epaulet

or ep·au·lette

[ep-uh-let, -lit, ep-uh-let]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR epaulet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an ornamental shoulder piece worn on uniforms, chiefly by military officers.

Origin of epaulet

1775–85; < French épaulette, equivalent to épaule shoulder (< Latin spatula blade; see spatula) + -ette -ette

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for epaulet

Historical Examples of epaulet

He was now in an adjutant's uniform with one epaulet and a shoulder knot.
War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy
It was not the hero I admired, but the reflection from his epaulet or helmet.
The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, Volume VI, Familiar Letters
Henry David Thoreau
The judges, he of the black robe and those of the epaulet, communed together.
Tom Cringle's Log
Michael Scott
The distance was too great, the wind too strong; he only carried away an epaulet.
The Trail of the Sword, Complete
Gilbert Parker
I've got a commission,—you see, I've mounted my epaulet,—and the tailor is making my uniform.
Pencil Sketches
Eliza Leslie

Word Origin and History for epaulet

1783, from French épaulette (16c.), diminutive of épaule "shoulder," from Old French espaule (12c.), from Latin spatula "flat piece of wood, splint," later "shoulder blade," diminutive of spatha "broad wooden instrument, broad sword," from Greek spathe "a broad flat sword" (see spade (n.1)).