eyelet

[ ahy-lit ]

noun

1. a small hole, usually round and finished along the edge, as in cloth or leather for the passage of a lace or cord or as in embroidery for ornamental effect.
2. a lightweight fabric pierced by small holes finished with stitching and often laid out in flowerlike designs.
3. a metal ring for lining a small hole; grommet.
4. an eyehole in a wall, mask, etc.
5. Also oylet. (in medieval architecture) a small aperture in a wall used as a window or loophole.
6. a small eye.

verb (used with object)

, eye·let·ed or eye·let·ted, eye·let·ing or eye·let·ting.

1. to make an eyelet in.
2. to insert metal eyelets in.

eyelet

/ ˈaɪlɪt /

noun

1. a small hole for a lace or cord to be passed through or for a hook to be inserted into
2. a small metal ring or tube with flared ends bent back, reinforcing an eyehole in fabric
3. a chink or small opening, such as a peephole in a wall
4. embroidery
   1. a small hole with finely stitched edges, forming part of an ornamental pattern
   2. Also calledeyelet embroidery a piece of embroidery decorated with such work
5. fabric decorated with such work produced by machine
6. a small eye or eyelike marking

verb

1. tr to supply with an eyelet or eyelets

Word History and Origins

Origin of eyelet¹

1350–1400; Middle English oillet < Old French oillet, equivalent to oill eye (< Latin oculus; ocular ) + -et -et; influenced by eye

Word History and Origins

Origin of eyelet¹

C14: from Old French oillet, literally: a little eye, from oill eye, from Latin oculus eye; see eye ¹

Example Sentences

You’ve probably seen its Buckle Ballerina flat everywhere, and this fall it’s launching a new silhouette that blends the delicate, feminine charm of a ballerina shoe with Ganni’s signature eyelet hardware.

From Los Angeles Times

The sandy wind whistled through the eyelets of the merchants’ tents.

From Literature

The accessory of the season were belts with long trailing fringe: tinsel silver, coppery gold, leather with eyelets or silky strands.

From Seattle Times

I wrote Monday about shoelaces and how dress shoes today seem to come with the laces threaded into the last set of eyelets rather than out of them.

From Washington Post

Even brands that advertise shoes with laces in the crisscross style — Johnston & Murphy is one — have the laces disappearing into the final eyelets, rather than emerging from them.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• break
• crack
• crater
• cut
• dent
• gap
• mouth
• pit
• pocket
• tunnel
• void
• window