the.com/eyelet
a tiny fortified hole, the unsung bodyguard keeping your laces from shredding their way to freedom
means A small hole, usually rimmed or reinforced with a metal or stitched ring, made in fabric or leather so a lace, cord, or hook can pass through without tearing it.
from A diminutive of 'eye' — the same word for the organ — because the little hole resembles a tiny eye. It came into English from Old French 'oillet,' itself a diminutive of 'oil' (eye), from Latin 'oculus.' English speakers later remodeled it to look more like the homegrown 'eye,' so the foreign 'oillet' quietly became 'eyelet' — a little eye, watching your laces.
- name origin
- From French oeillet, meaning little eye
- military roots
- Brass eyelets armored sails and tents for centuries
- broderie anglaise
- Entire fabric tradition built from decorative punched holes
- grommet kin
- A grommet is just an eyelet with two halves
grommet eyelet — metal ring used in sails, tarps, and industrial applications since the 1800s
eyelet lace — decorative fabric with small holes, popular in victorian era clothing and still mass-produced today
eyelet punch tool — hand tool that creates clean holes in leather, paper, and fabric for eyelets