tassel en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ˈtæsəl/
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English tassel, from Old French tassel, from Latin tāxillus (“small cube”), from tālus (“ankle”).
Meanings
-
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).
The Giant's boots were of pink leather and had tassels on them and his hat was decorated with an enormous pink ostrich feather, carefully curled.
1912, L. Frank Baum, The Patchwork Girl of Oz:
-
The panicle on a male plant of maize, which consists of loose threads with anthers on them.
The plant world is very busy and helpful when it seems to be playing. The tall, plumy tassels at the tops of corn stalks, swing much as you do under the maple tree. But those tassels are so loaded with pollen that you can often see a brown dust hovering over a corn field. As the wind blows the tassels, the pollen is shaken down in clouds.
1915, Eleanor Stackhouse Atkinson, The How and Why Library, Life - Plants - Section IX:
- The loose hairs at the end of a braid.
- A narrow silk ribbon, or similar, sewn to a book to be put between the pages.
- 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.
- A kind of bur used in dressing cloth; a teasel.
- A thin plate of gold on the back of a bishop's gloves.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| tossel | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| tassels | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
tasselseed · tasselweed · tasselly · pretassel · tasselmaking · detassel · silktassel · tassel-eared squirrel · tasselmaker
Relateds
Translations (71)
de Troddel (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · nl kwast (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · eo kvasto (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · ota پوسكول (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · fa منگوله (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · yi קוטאַש (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · tr püskül (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · es franja (loose hairs at the end of a braid) · nl franje (loose hairs at the end of a braid) · gd cluigean (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · uk кутас (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · fi tupsu (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · fr gland (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · tr makrama (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · pl kutas (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · sh rojta (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · it nappa (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · he צִיצִית (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · es fleco (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · tl lambo (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl candea (male inflorescence of maize) · gl curuto (male inflorescence of maize) · sh kićanka (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · cs střapec (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · sv tofs (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · fr panicule (male inflorescence of maize) · de Klunker (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · pt borla (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · ru ки́сточка (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · pl frędzel (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · uk китиця (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · mk висулка (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · be кутасік (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · bg пискюл (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · de Quaste (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · hy ծոպ (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · az qotaz (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · ms jurai (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl milfeira (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · th พู่ห้อย (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · bg свила (male inflorescence of maize) · gl bolra (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · mi kihukihu (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · mi hukahuka (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · ga aigilín (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · mk китка (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl mirfia (male inflorescence of maize) · af tossel (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · pt barbas de milho (male inflorescence of maize) · esu kistaq (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · mi patapata (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl mirfallo (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · yi טראָלד (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · no dusk (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · af baard (male inflorescence of maize) · da kvast (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · ar شُرَّابَة (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · sh kita (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · hu rojt (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · es borla (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · grc θύσανος (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · vi ngù (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · hu bojt (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · tr kotaz (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl teixelo (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl pabón (male inflorescence of maize) · gl floco (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · zh 流蘇 /流苏 (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · gl cenceno (male inflorescence of maize) · ca borla (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads) · yi קוואַסט (ball-shaped bunch of plaited or otherwise entangled threads)