aglet

Aglets in copper, plastic and brass

An aglet or aiglet is a small plastic or metal sheath typically found on each end of a shoelace, cord or drawstring. An aglet keeps the fibers of the lace or cord from unraveling, plus its firmness and narrow profile makes it both easier to hold and easier to feed through the eyelets, lugs or other lacing guides.

The word "aglet" (or "aiglet") comes from Old French "aguillette" (or "aiguillette"), which is the diminutive of "aguille" (or "aiguilee"), meaning "needle".^[1] This in turn comes from "acus", the original Latin word for needle. An aglet is thus like a small "needle" at the end of a cord.

There is a subtle distinction between aglets, which are generally functional, and aiguillettes, which are generally decorative. The latter are usually seen at the end of decorative cords such as bolo ties and the identically named aiguillettes of military dress uniforms.

Aglets today are most often made of plastic, but in times past aglets were made of metal, glass, or stone. Many were highly ornamental, and made of precious metals such as silver. Before the invention of buttons, they were used on the ends of ribbons to fasten clothing together. Sometimes they would be formed into small figures. Shakespeare calls this type of figure an "aglet baby" in The Taming of the Shrew.

For a time during the Great Depression aglets were made out of paper and glue.^{[citation needed]}

Home-made aglets can be fashioned out of adhesive tape, wax, resin, glue, thread, heat shrink or metal tubing, or by simply knotting or melting the end of a lace or cord. ^[2]

See also

• Aiguillette (ornament)

References

External links

• Aglets on Ian's Shoelace Site

Look up aglet in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.