shoulder knot

American  

noun

1. a knot of ribbon or lace worn on the shoulder, as by men of fashion in the 17th and 18th centuries, by servants in livery, or by women or children.

2. one of a pair of detachable ceremonial ornaments consisting of braided cord, worn on the shoulders by a commissioned officer.

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Etymology

Origin of shoulder knot

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

shoulder knot

Alone and unprotected he was at the mercy of everybody, and he found to his great surprise that his shoulder knot and his gold lace commanded no respect.

From Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau

He thought if the modish beauties in yonder rooms could boast of such perfect charm, 'twould not be hid by a fall of lace and a shoulder knot of violets.

From Mistress Penwick by Dutton Payne

His hose, his stockings and the lining of his cloak were blue and of the color of his shoulder knot.

From The Blacksmith's Hammer, or The Peasant Code A Tale of the Grand Monarch by Eug?ne Sue

He is jogging along fast, his "shoulder knot a-creaking," and the water that splashes on to the hot dust intensifies the feeling of heat and light.

From From Edinburgh to India & Burmah by W. G. (William Gordon) Burn Murdoch

The Sand Piper wore his sash jauntily with a huge shoulder knot, and he, too, had a cockaded headgear.

From Marjorie at Seacote by Carolyn Wells