A small ornamental fastener or brooch, historically used to pin clothing or decorative items together.
From French épingle, from Old French espingle, derived from Latin spina 'thorn' or 'pin.' The word traveled through Romance languages with the meaning of a fastening device that works like a thorn.
The word 'epingle' comes from the Latin word for 'thorn'—people literally used thorns to pin their clothes before metal pins were invented! This is why many fastening words hide plant origins.
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