Tassel

//ˈtæsəl// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    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).
  2. 2
    Alternative form of tassell. alt-of, alternative
  3. 3
    adornment consisting of a bunch of cords fastened at one end wordnet
  4. 4
    The panicle on a male plant of maize, which consists of loose threads with anthers on them.
  5. 5
    The loose hairs at the end of a braid.
Show 4 more definitions
  1. 6
    A narrow silk ribbon, or similar, sewn to a book to be put between the pages.
  2. 7
    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.
  3. 8
    A kind of bur used in dressing cloth; a teasel.
  4. 9
    A thin plate of gold on the back of a bishop's gloves.
Verb
  1. 1
    To adorn with tassels. transitive

    "[…] gauzes of silver mist; Loop’d up with cords of twisted wreathed light, And tassell’d round with weeping meteors!"

  2. 2
    To put forth a tassel or flower. intransitive

    "Maize is a crop that tassels."

Synonyms

All synonyms
betasseldraperypendant

Example

More examples

""Where does that bell communicate with?" he asked at last pointing to a thick bell-rope which hung down beside the bed, the tassel actually lying upon the pillow."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English tassel, from Old French tassel, from Latin tāxillus (“small cube”), from tālus (“ankle”).

Etymology 2

See tassell.

Related phrases

tassel-eared squirrelsword knot

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