 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Epaulet \Ep"au*let'\, Epaulette \Ep"au*lette'\, noun [F. ['e]paulette, dim. of ['e]paule shoulder, fr. L. spatula a broad piece (LL., shoulder), dim. of spatha abroad, flat instrument, fr. Gr. ?, also, a broad rib, shoulder blade. See {Spade} the instrument, and cf. {Epaule}, {Spatula}.] (Mil.) A shoulder ornament or badge worn by military and naval officers, differences of rank being marked by some peculiar form or device, as a star, eagle, etc.; a shoulder knot.
Note: In the United States service the epaulet is reserved for full dress uniform. Its use was abolished in the British army in 1855.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
epaulet
noun: adornment consisting of an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder [syn: {epaulette}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
22 Moby Thesaurus words for "epaulet": Hershey bar, aviation badge, badge, bar, chevron, chicken, eagle, hash mark, insignia of branch, oak leaf, organization insignia, overseas bar, parachute badge, patch, pip, service stripe, shoulder patch, shoulder sleeve insignia, spread eagle, star, stripe, submarine badge
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:
EPAULET, noun An ornamented badge, serving to distinguish a military officer from the enemy -- that is to say, from the officer of lower rank to whom his death would give promotion.
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |