epaulet

or ep·au·lette

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

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 epaulette

Wellmere fired, and the bullion flew from the epaulette of the trooper.
The Spy|J. Fenimore Cooper
My second epaulette did not reach me till 1830; then I took a little turn in Africa.
The Man With The Broken Ear|Edmond About
Long plain sleeves, ornamented round the top with a puffing of silk, forming an epaulette.
Harper's Magazine, Vol III, June 1851|Various
Spurning buttons, he aspired to the epaulette, and was appointed paymaster to the 7th Hussars.
Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.|Pierce Egan

My duties as Director-General of the Post-office had of course obliged me to resign my captain's epaulette.
Memoirs of Napoleon Bonaparte, Complete|Louis Antoine Fauvelet de Bourrienne

British Dictionary definitions for epaulette

epaulette

US epaulet

noun

a piece of ornamental material on the shoulder of a garment, esp a military uniform

Word Origin for epaulette

C18: from French épaulette, from épaule shoulder, from Latin spatula shoulder blade; see spatula

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 epaulette

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)).