Forms: 4 oilet, 5 oylette, olyet, -tte, 7 eielet, eylet, 7– eyelet. [ME. oilet, a. Fr. œillet, dim. of œil eye: the mod. form is influenced by association with EYE and -LET.]
1. a. A small round hole in cloth, sail-cloth, etc., worked like a button-hole for the passage of a lace, ring or rope; also EYELET-HOLE. b. A short metal tube, having its ends flattened for the same purpose.
1382. Wyclif, Ex. xxvi. 5. The curtyn shal haue fifti oiletis in either parti.
1611. Speed, Hist. Gt. Brit., IX. xv. § 9. At euery Eylet the Needle left hanging by the silke.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., v. 23. Reeuing is but drawing a rope thorow a blocke or oylet to runne vp and down.
a. 1764. Lloyd, To G. Colman. Peeping the curtains eyelet through.
transf. 1805. Wordsw., Prelude, VII. Wks. (1888), 288/1. Winding up his mouth … into an orifice … a lurking eyelet, small and only not invisible.
2. An aperture or loophole for observation; rarely for the discharge of missiles.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., Olyet, hole yn in a walle.
c. 1450. Lonelich, Grail, xiv. 630. Forto han smeten him … Thorwh the oylettes of his helm.
1848. Thackeray, Van. Fair, lxiii. A woman … with a black mask on, through the eyelets of which her eyes twinkled strangely.
1851. Turner, Dom. Archit., I. vii. 336. In which there are loop-holes or eylets for arrows.
1858. Bushnell, Nat. & Supernat., iii. (1864), 65. Eyelet of observation.
3. A small eye. lit. and fig.
1799. W. Taylor, in Monthly Mag., VII. 139. With eyelets, by the fat flesh squeez’d together.
1835. Tait’s Mag., II. 379/2.
| Wicked eyelets, wicked mouth, | |
| Face me fairly, tell me truth! |
1848. Hardy, in Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, II. 335. Eyelets (ocelli) two, small, black.
1876. T. Hardy, Hand Ethelberta, II. xlvi. 233. They could discern eyelets of light winking to them.
† b. A small eye or bud of a plant or tree. Obs.
1600. Surflet, Countrie Farme, VI. vi. 737. If it [the vine stocke] haue put forth any eielet, you may rub it off with your finger.
1616. Surfl. & Markh., Countrey Farme, 348. Shoots … full of sappe, hauing grosse and thicke-set eyelets.
4. attrib. and Comb.
1864. Webster, Eyelet-ring, a small ring of metal, ivory, &c. inserted in an eyelet to prevent wearing.
1874. Knight, Dict. Mech., Eyelet-punch, a device used at the desk for attaching papers together by eyeleting.
1880. Catal. Tool Wks. Sheffield, 80. Best bright Eyelet Closing Pliers.
1883. Harper’s Mag., 813/2. It is a mere eyelet slit of a strait.
