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Glite Dictionary
shoulder cord

shoulder cord

7.2
A decorative braided cord worn on one shoulder with a military or formal uniform
  • noun
  • Jargon
translation icon : cordón de hombro
  • Cadets are required to attach the shoulder cord to their uniforms during parades.

Examples

  • The blue shoulder cord indicated his position in the regiment.

  • The officer wore a bright shoulder cord on his uniform.

  • The officer wore a bright gold shoulder cord as part of his ceremonial attire.

  • Many military uniforms feature a shoulder cord for decoration.

  • The general stood proudly, his uniform adorned with a bright red shoulder cord that signified his rank.

  • During the ceremony, each soldier was recognized as they wore their respective shoulder cords, highlighting their achievements.

  • In the parade, the cadets marched in formation, each displaying a decorative shoulder cord on their uniforms.

Synonyms

aiguillette
vsshoulder cord
  • Jargon
1 9.9

Decorative cord with metal tips worn on the shoulder of a uniform for ceremonies

is plainer and lacks the metal tipped finish

Surface Forms

shoulder cord singular
shoulder cords plural

Morphology

shoulder + cord

The meaning 'a decorative braided cord worn on one shoulder' is directly and literally derivable from 'shoulder' (the body/garment area) + 'cord' (a length of twisted fibres). This straightforward noun–noun modifier pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows normal English composition, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Shoulder cord comes from the simple image of a braided cord worn over the shoulder on a soldier's uniform, where a bright cord would show the soldier's unit or position during parades. So, today it means 'a decorative braided cord worn on one shoulder' that shows 'rank' or 'position'.