What does tassel mean?
A tassel is a small bundle or tuft of threads, cords, ribbons, or similar material attached at one end and left hanging loose. Most familiar are decorative tassels on caps, robes, curtains, bags, and ceremonial clothing, where they add movement, texture, and a formal flourish. Historically, such ornaments also signaled status, making the tassel more than a merely practical detail. In dressmaking and interiors, "tasselled" describes an object finished with these pendants. Tassel also has a botanical sense: the name can refer to a hanging cluster of flowers, especially the tassel of a maize plant. As a verb, tassel means either to add tassels to something or, in older craft and furnishing usage, to remove them. The word is standard in British and American English, with chiefly a spelling difference: "tasselled" is more common in British usage, while "tasseled" is common in American usage. Overall, tassel evokes ornament, elegance, and craftsmanship, while its botanical and historical uses add useful layers to a familiar decorative term.
A tuft of threads, cords, ribbons, or similar material attached at one end and hanging loose, commonly used as an ornament. The word can also denote a tuft of hair or a hanging flower cluster, especially that of maize.
"The velvet cap had a long tassel hanging over one shoulder."
The botanical sense is especially associated with maize, whose tassel is the cluster of male flowers above the ears.
To add a tassel or tassels to something, or to remove tassels from something.
"The makers tasseled the velvet curtains before installing them."
This verb is uncommon in everyday speech and is mainly associated with clothing, textiles, curtains, and other decorative furnishings.
The regular plural is "tassels," used for individual ornaments and for multiple hanging tufts.
"Gold tassels decorated the velvet canopy."
A tassel may look like a tiny decoration, but on ceremonial clothing it can announce rank, office, and tradition.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does tassel come from?
English borrowed the word from French tassel during the Middle English period. The French word is generally traced to a Germanic source referring to a tuft of hair, although the precise development is uncertain. The root is often compared with forms in the English tuft and toss–tussock families, whose relationship to tassel is remote rather than the result of a direct English derivation.
Related word forms
How tassel is actually used
The noun is common in British and American English. The verb is less frequent and chiefly occurs in dressmaking, textiles, furnishings, and crafts. British English commonly uses the spelling "tasselled," whereas American English commonly uses "tasseled."