I. ˈta-səl, oftenest of corn ˈtä-, ˈtȯ- noun
Etymology: Middle English, clasp, tassel, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin * tassellus, alteration of Latin taxillus small die; akin to Latin talus anklebone, die
Date: 14th century
1. : a dangling ornament made by laying parallel a bunch of cords or threads of even length and fastening them at one end
2. : something resembling a tassel ; especially : the terminal male inflorescence of some plants and especially Indian corn
[
tassel 1
]
II. verb
( -seled or -selled ; -sel·ing or tas·sel·ling -s(ə-)liŋ)
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
: to adorn with tassels
intransitive verb
: to put forth tassel inflorescences