Collarette

/ˌkɒl.ə.ˈret/ noun

Definition

A small, usually ornamental collar or a narrow decorative band worn around the neck, popular in historical fashion.

Etymology

From French 'collarette' (Old French 'collare' + French diminutive '-ette'). The '-ette' suffix is the French feminine diminutive that entered English during the 19th century.

Kelly Says

French borrowed the '-ette' ending from Latin and used it obsessively for smaller, feminine versions of things—this is why we have 'kitchenette' (small kitchen) and 'serviette' (small napkin), showing how language encodes gender assumptions into physical objects.

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