lanyard
/ˈlæn.jɚd/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.65 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A cord worn around the neck, shoulder, or wrist which is attached to a small object to be carried such as an identity card or security pass, key, knife, or whistle.
noun
A craft activity done by intricately braiding thin colored plastic lines to make patterns, or the product of such a craft.
noun
A civil servant or mid-level bureaucrat, viewed as officious and overly concerned with social justice.
British usage; Derogatory
Example Sentences
- ""Take ahold here, an' keep ringin' steady," said Dan, passing Harvey the lanyard of a bell that hung just behind the windlass."
- "Aboard ship he carried his crutch by a lanyard round his neck, to have both hands as free as possible. [...] [H]e would hand himself from one place to another, now using the crutch, now trailing it alongside by the lanyard, as quickly as another man could walk."
- "It's lanyard. It's a camp tradition. You'll have about a million lanyard key chains by the time the summer is over."
- "A few lousy days at Camp Minnehaha spent extracting oar splinters from your palms and taking group lanyard lessons under the full noonday sun."
- "Completely agree. Nowhere more so than in Scotlsnd^([sic]), where the lanyards are making a mockery of how a parliament should work."
- "How even places devoted to truth and free inquiry slowly surrender to managerialist mediocrity and how, without anyone ever declaring victory, the lanyards win."
Etymology
From late Middle English lainer, lainere, lanyer (“strap or thong used to fasten armour”) (with the ending modified in the 17th century under the influence of yard), from Old French laniere, lasniere (“thong, lash”) (see modern French lanière (“lanyard, strap”)). The French word is ultimately from Germanic, cognate with Old High German nestila (“band, headband; strap”) (modern German Nestel (“lace; strap; string”)), Old Norse nesta (“brace; fastener, strap”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈlæn.jɚd/
- British English: /ˈlæn.jəd/
Usage
- British usage
- Derogatory