Etymologically
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necklace

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 17 October 2026 at 16:35. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈnɛklɪs/, /ˈnɛkləs/ (UK); /ˈnɛkləs/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is from English neck + lace, lace in the sense of a cord or string.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

An ornament of jewels, beads or metal worn round the neck: about 1590 in the OED, the 1580s in Etymonline;[4][2] Merriam-Webster dates it to 1577.[3]

Semantic evolution

A ribbon or tie for the neck is from 1697,[4] and in transferred use a noose or halter from before 1616.[4] The verb, to form into a necklace, is from 1702.[4] In South Africa from 1985 the necklace was a form of lynching with a burning petrol-soaked tyre round the victim's neck.[2][4][5]

Timeline

  • 1577 – necklace (Merriam-Webster).[3]
  • c. 1590 – a neck ornament.[4]
  • before 1616 – a noose.[4]
  • 1985 – necklacing (South Africa).[2][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A chain or string of beads, jewels or the like worn round the neck as an ornament.
  2. Something resembling this in shape.
  3. (South Africa) A tyre soaked in petrol, placed round a person's neck and set on fire.

Verb

  1. (South Africa) To kill in this way.
  • neck
  • lace
  • pendant
  • choker

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins