epaulet

or ep·au·lette

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

/ ˈɛp əˌlɛt, -lɪt, ˌɛp əˈlɛt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR epaulet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

Nearby words

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

Haven't I my epaulet on my shoulder, to let everybody know I'm an officer?
Pencil Sketches|Eliza Leslie
Who would ever have expected to find a lover of nature with a republican epaulet?
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. V, No. XXV, June, 1852|Various
There was Captain Battleax seated there, beautiful with a cocked-hat, and an epaulet, and gold braid.
The Fixed Period|Anthony Trollope
A furious rage seized him and he sought eagerly for a shot at the epaulet, but it disappeared.
The Masters of the Peaks|Joseph A. Altsheler

At length, the little man with the epaulet commenced a very prurient tale.
Rattlin the Reefer|Edward Howard

Word Origin and History for epaulet

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)).