Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Etymology  





2 History  





3 Variety  





4 See also  





5 References  














Aglet






Afrikaans
Asturianu
Български
Català
Чӑвашла
Čeština
Dansk
Eesti
Español
Français

Հայերեն
עברית
Nederlands

Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
Tiếng Vit
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Three different types of aglets: double-punched copper, plastic sheath, and inward fold brass

Anaglet (/ˈæɡlət/ AG-lət)[1]oraiglet is a small sheath, often made of plastic or metal, attached at each end of a shoelace, a cord, or a drawstring.[2] An aglet keeps the fibers of the lace or cord from unraveling; its firmness and narrow profile make it easier to hold and easier to feed through eyelets, lugs, or other lacing guides.

Etymology

[edit]

The word aglet and its variant aiglet come from the Middle French and Old French word aguillette, the diminutive of aguille, meaning "needle, pin", which in turn comes from the Late Latin acucula ("ornamental pin, pine needle"), diminutive of the Latin word for needle and pin, acus.[1][3]

History

[edit]

Aglets were originally made of metal, glass, or stone,[4] and many were very ornamental. Wealthy people in the Roman era would have their aglets made out of precious metals such as brass or silver.

Before the invention of buttons, they were used on the ends of the ribbons used to fasten clothing together. Sometimes they were formed into small figures. Shakespeare calls this type of figure an "aglet baby" in The Taming of the Shrew.

According to Huffington Post editor James Cave, "The history of the aglet’s evolution is a little knotty—many sources credit it as being popularized by an English inventor named Harvey Kennedy who is said to have earned $2.5 million off the modern shoelace in the 1790s."[5]

Today, the clear plastic aglets on the end of shoelaces are put there by special machines. The machines wrap plastic tape around the end of new shoelaces and use heat or chemicals to melt the plastic onto the shoelace and bond the plastic to itself.[5]

Variety

[edit]

There is a subtle distinction between aglets, which are generally functional, and aiguillettes, which are generally decorative. Aiguillettes usually appear at the end of decorative cords, such as bolo ties and the cords on military dress uniforms.

Shoe companies often produce their own shoelaces, for which they manufacture aglets. Many companies prefer to add metal sheaths over plastic aglets for better durability. Some may also add logos or pictures.[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Aglet". Merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 20 September 2017.
  • ^ "Aglet." Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.
  • ^ Picken, Mary Brooks: The Fashion Dictionary, Funk and Wagnalls, 1957. (1973 edition ISBN 0-308-10052-2)
  • ^ a b "What Is an Aglet?". Wonderopolis.org. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  • ^ a b Cave, James (2016-06-22). "Behold, The Aglet: That Thing On The End Of Your Shoelace". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-07-28.

  • Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aglet&oldid=1234853594"

    Categories: 
    Parts of clothing
    Footwear accessories
    Hidden categories: 
    Articles with short description
    Short description is different from Wikidata
    Articles needing additional references from July 2024
    All articles needing additional references
    Articles lacking reliable references from July 2024
    All articles lacking reliable references
    Articles with multiple maintenance issues
    Articles containing Old French (842-ca. 1400)-language text
    Articles containing Latin-language text
     



    This page was last edited on 16 July 2024, at 13:39 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki