What does lanyard mean?
A lanyard is a cord or strap designed to be worn around the neck or attached to an object. Its most familiar modern use is for carrying identification badges at workplaces, conferences, schools, and large events. Such lanyards are often printed with an organisation's name or logo and may include a badge holder, clip, or pocket. The word also has technical and nautical uses: a lanyard can be a short line used to secure or handle equipment, or a rope associated with sails and shipboard tasks. Although the ordinary meaning is practical, the lanyard has a distinctive history as a rope and a means of fastening objects around the neck. It is useful because it combines a simple physical object with a broad range of functions, from personal identification to maritime equipment and modern safety gear.
A cord or strap worn around the neck or used to attach, carry, or secure an object.
"The security guard clipped a temporary pass to my lanyard."
The badge-holder sense is especially common in institutional, workplace, school, and event settings.
To fasten or attach something by means of a cord or strap worn around the neck.
"The volunteers lanyarded the staff passes before the doors opened."
This verb is less common than the noun and is chiefly used in practical or procedural contexts.
Use the plural when referring to several individual cords, straps, or badge holders.
"The organisers gave the volunteers red lanyards with printed identification cards."
From a badge holder at a conference to a line used on a ship, the lanyard is a simple cord with an extraordinary range of practical uses.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lanyard come from?
The English word developed in the Middle English forms lanier and lanyard, borrowing Old French lanière, a word for a cord or strap. Old French lanière came from Latin laniarius, associated with lanium, a band or bandage, ultimately related to Greek lanium, meaning a woollen cord. Over time, the word broadened from a rope or neckband to its modern specialized uses for badge holders, keys, and other small carried objects.
How lanyard is actually used
The word is formal enough for workplace, institutional, and nautical contexts, but it is also common in descriptions of events, schools, and conferences. In British pronunciation, the final consonant may sound softer than in the usual American pronunciation.
Easily confused with lanyard
A lanyard is a cord or strap, whereas a lanyer is a person who makes or sells such cords.