Wiktionary

tassel

English

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Ornamental tassels (1)

Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English tassel, from Old French tassel, from Latin taxillus (“small cube”), from tālus (“ankle”).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ˈtæsəl/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -æsəl

Noun

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tassel (plural tassels)

  1. A ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads from which at one end protrudes a cord on which the ball is hung, and which may have loose, dangling threads at the other end (often used as decoration along the bottom of garments, curtains or other hangings).
  2. (botany) The panicle on a male plant of maize, which consists of loose threads with anthers on them.
  3. The loose hairs at the end of a braid.
  4. A narrow silk ribbon, or similar, sewn to a book to be put between the pages.
  5. (architecture) A piece of board that is laid upon a wall as a sort of plate, to give a level surface to the ends of floor timbers.
  6. A kind of bur used in dressing cloth; a teasel.
  7. A thin plate of gold on the back of a bishop's gloves.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Verb

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tassel (third-person singular simple present tassels, present participle tasselling or tasseling, simple past and past participle tasselled or tasseled)

  1. (transitive) To adorn with tassels.
    Synonym: betassel
    • 1819, John Keats, Otho the Great, act V, scene V, verses 37-39:
      […] gauzes of silver mist;
      Loop’d up with cords of twisted wreathed light,
      And tassell’d round with weeping meteors!
  2. (intransitive, botany) To put forth a tassel or flower.
    Maize is a crop that tassels.

Anagrams

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Old French

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Etymology

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From Late Latin taxellus, secondary form of taxillus, diminutive of Latin talus.

Noun

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tassel oblique singular, m (oblique plural tasseaus or tasseax or tassiaus or tassiax or tassels, nominative singular tasseaus or tasseax or tassiaus or tassiax or tassels, nominative plural tassel)

  1. tassel (adornment for a garment)
    • c. 1150, Thomas d'Angleterre, Le Roman de Tristan, Champion Classiques edition, →ISBN, page 98, line 909:
      si em fera urle e tassels
      he will add a border and tassels

Swedish

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Etymology

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Deverbal from tassla.

Noun

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tassel n (uncountable)

  1. whispering
    Synonym: tissel

Usage notes

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Normally in the form tissel och tassel.

Declension

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Declension of tassel
nominative genitive
singular indefinite tassel tassels
definite tasslet tasslets
plural indefinite — —
definite — —

Further reading

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