Primary
''epaulette'' ▫ᴱᴺ|Definition|1st|20250716204247-00-⌔
epaulette - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
epaulette (plural epaulettes)
- An ornamentation, worn on the shoulders of a military uniform, as a sign of rank.
- ✤ Synonyms: shoulder board, shoulder mark, shoulder strap
- ✤ He would have answered for it at the end of a quarter of an hour that some of the glass cases contained swords and epaulettes of ancient colonels and generals; medals and orders once pinned over hearts that had long since ceased to beat; […]1
- A similar piece of trimming on a lady’s dress.
- A plate on the anterior wings of some insects.
- ✤ Synonym: tegula
- The red patch on the shoulders of a red-winged blackbird.
Etymology
From French épaulette, from épaule (“shoulder”) + -ette (diminutive).
Pronunciation
- IPA: /ˈɛpəlɛt/, /ˌɛpəˈlɛt/
- Audio (Southern England): 🔊
Printed 2026-06-28.
(echo:: @ ⌗)
Link to original Footnotes
1903 September 28, Henry James, The Ambassadors, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC: ↩
Secondary
• • •