What does "epaulette" mean?

An ornamentation, worn on the shoulders of a military uniform, as a sign of rank.

What is a synonym for "epaulette"?

Common synonyms include: epaulet, epaulet, shoulder board, shoulder mark, shoulder strap, tegula.

Epaulette

//ˈɛpəlɛt// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
An ornamentation, worn on the shoulders of a military uniform, as a sign of rank.
"He would have answered for it at the end of a quarter of an hour that some of the glass cases contained swords and epaulettes of ancient colonels and generals; medals and orders once pinned over hearts that had long since ceased to beat; […]"
2
adornment consisting of an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder wordnet
3
A similar piece of trimming on a lady’s dress.
4
A plate on the anterior wings of some insects.
5
The red patch on the shoulders of a red-winged blackbird.

Synonyms

All synonyms

epaulet epaulet shoulder board shoulder mark shoulder strap tegula

Example

More examples

"He would have answered for it at the end of a quarter of an hour that some of the glass cases contained swords and epaulettes of ancient colonels and generals; medals and orders once pinned over hearts that had long since ceased to beat; […]"

Etymology

From French épaulette, from épaule (“shoulder”) + -ette (diminutive).

More for "epaulette"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.