Word of the Day
épaulette
Épaulette
French
French/e.po.lɛt/English/ˈɛp.ə.lɛt/
“The fringed shoulder ornament on a military uniform is named after what it sits on—the shoulder itself.”
French épaule means 'shoulder,' from Old French espaule, which descends from Latin spatula—a broad, flat blade. The Romans saw the shoulder blade as a spatula-shaped bone (the scapula is indeed flat), and the body part inherited the tool's name. Épaulette, with its diminutive suffix, appeared in French around 1690 as a small shoulder piece on military coats.
5 stops · from Rome to Global