eyelet

[ ahy-lit ]

/ ˈaɪ lɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR eyelet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a small hole, usually round and finished along the edge, as in cloth or leather for the passage of a lace or cord or as in embroidery for ornamental effect.

a lightweight fabric pierced by small holes finished with stitching and often laid out in flowerlike designs.

a metal ring for lining a small hole; grommet.

an eyehole in a wall, mask, etc.

Also oillet, oyelet, oylet. (in medieval architecture) a small aperture in a wall used as a window or loophole.

a small eye.

verb (used with object), eye·let·ed or eye·let·ted, eye·let·ing or eye·let·ting.

to make an eyelet in.

to insert metal eyelets in.

Nearby words

eyehole, eyehook, eyelash, eyelash sign, eyeless, eyelet, eyeleteer, eyelevel, eyelid, eyelift, eyeliner

Origin of eyelet

1350–1400; Middle English oillet < Old French oillet, equivalent to oill eye (< Latin oculus; see ocular) + -et -et; influenced by eye

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

Examples from the Web for eyelet

The cut material is turned under to the wrong side and the eyelet worked as just described.
The Library of Work and Play: Needlecraft|Effie Archer Archer
Deftly and expertly they were looping them through the eyelet rings set at frequent intervals along the sides of the flier.
The Revolt of the Star Men|Raymond Gallun
Fig. 110 shows the rope passed around and whipped to an eyelet.
Rustic Carpentry|Paul N. Hasluck
And now I observe that the fifth eyelet is worn out, as though the tongue of the clasp were accustomed to lie there.
The King in Yellow|Robert W. Chambers

Any girl can make dainty and original designs for eyelet work if she will invest in compasses.
The Library of Work and Play: Needlecraft|Effie Archer Archer

British Dictionary definitions for eyelet

eyelet

/ (ˈaɪlɪt) /

noun

a small hole for a lace or cord to be passed through or for a hook to be inserted into

a small metal ring or tube with flared ends bent back, reinforcing an eyehole in fabric

a chink or small opening, such as a peephole in a wall

embroidery

a small hole with finely stitched edges, forming part of an ornamental pattern
Also called: eyelet embroidery a piece of embroidery decorated with such work

fabric decorated with such work produced by machine

a small eye or eyelike marking

verb

(tr) to supply with an eyelet or eyelets

Word Origin for eyelet

C14: from Old French oillet, literally: a little eye, from oill eye, from Latin oculus eye; see eye 1

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