What does eyelet mean?
An eyelet is a small hole made in fabric, leather, paper, or another soft material, usually strengthened with a metal ring or by stitching so that it does not tear under strain. Its everyday purpose is simple: to give a lace, cord, ribbon, or thread a durable point of passage. Eyelets appear on shoes and boots, corsets, curtains, tarpaulins, belts, and sails — anywhere a tie must be threaded through material too delicate to bear the stress on its own. The word entered English from Old French as a diminutive of oeil ('eye'), reflecting the visual resemblance between the small round opening and an eye. A related textile sense refers to decorative openwork embroidery — 'eyelet lace' or 'broderie anglaise' — in which small pierced holes are worked into cotton fabric as an ornamental pattern. The word is neutral in tone and common in sewing, fashion, and hardware contexts.
nounA small hole, typically reinforced with a metal ring or stitching, made in fabric or leather through which a cord, lace, or thread can pass. It can also denote a tiny opening or peephole more generally.
- A small reinforced hole in fabric, leather, or similar material, typically fitted with a metal ring (grommet), through which a lace, cord, or thread passes.
- A small hole or aperture generally; occasionally, a peephole.
"The leather boot was fitted with brass eyelets to keep the laces from fraying."
"She threaded the ribbon carefully through each eyelet of the corset bodice."
"Curtain panels hung from rings clipped onto metal eyelets along the top hem."
Standard plural; simply add -s.
"The shoemaker replaced all six worn eyelets on the left boot."
The word eyelet is literally a French diminutive of 'eye' — so every time you lace up your shoes, you're threading them through dozens of little 'eyes.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eyelet
Eyelet derives from the Old French oeillet, itself a diminutive of oeil, meaning 'eye', which traces back to Latin oculus. It was borrowed into English around the late Middle Ages to early modern period, describing a tiny eye-like hole. The same Latin root oculus gives English words such as ocular, binoculars, and monocle, making eyelet part of a broad family of sight-related vocabulary.
How eyelet is actually used
Eyelet is most commonly encountered in sewing, fashion, and craft contexts. In British English it is also sometimes applied to small perforations in paper (e.g. punched for filing). The term carries no strong register — it is ordinary vocabulary within its domains and neutral elsewhere.
Easily confused with eyelet
A grommet is technically the reinforcing ring (usually metal or rubber) that fits into an eyelet, though in practice the terms are often used interchangeably for the whole assembly.
An isle is a small island, whereas an eyelet is a small reinforced hole — they share no meaning despite a superficially similar sound.