Definition

Noun: 1. A circular band or wreath worn on the head, typically made of flowers, leaves, or precious materials, often as an ornament or as a mark of honor or victory. 2. A string of beads used for counting prayers in a devotional exercise; a short rosary, often consisting of one-third of the standard fifteen decades.

Examples

1. As a head ornament:
   • The statue of the goddess was adorned with a golden chaplet.
   • In ancient Rome, a victor might be crowned with a laurel chaplet.
2. As a string of prayer beads:
   • She quietly counted her prayers on a small chaplet of pearls.
   • He kept a wooden chaplet in his pocket for daily devotion.

Advanced Usage

• Literary/Figurative Use: The word can be used poetically to describe anything that encircles like a crown.
  • A chaplet of stars crowned the mountain peak.

Variants and Related Words

• Chapletry (noun, archaic): The making or selling of chaplets.
• Coronet: A small crown, especially one worn by nobility.
• Garland: A wreath of flowers and leaves, often worn or hung as decoration.
• Rosary: A string of beads for counting prayers, specifically in the Catholic tradition, typically longer than a chaplet.

Synonyms

• Wreath (for the head ornament meaning)
• Circlet
• Crownlet
• Prayer beads (for the devotional meaning)

Related Phrases

• To wear a chaplet: To have a chaplet on one's head, either literally or figuratively as a sign of honor.
  • The poet was said to wear a chaplet of immortality.

Related Idioms

• A chaplet of years: A poetic idiom referring to the passage of time, as if each year were a bead on a string.
  • He looked back on a long chaplet of years spent in service.

Noun

1. flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes