What are those plastic pieces at the ends of shoelaces called?

Plastic Things at End of Shoelaces Are...

They're called aglets.

Answer

The plastic or metal sleeves at the end of shoelaces are called "aglets" (or "aiglets"). Besides making an interesting trivia or crossword puzzle question, aglets have several functions: They prevent the lace ends from fraying, they make the laces easier to hold, and they make them easier to pass through the eyelets.

The word "aglet" (or "aiglet") comes from Old French "aguillette" (or "aiguillette"), which is the diminutive of "aguille" (or "aiguilee"), meaning "needle". This in turn comes from the original Latin word for needle: "acus".

First answer by Getacar. Last edit by Kitty cat04. Contributor trust: 3 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 17 [recommend question]