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cu·let (kylĭt, kŭlĭt)
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n.
1. The small flat face at the bottom of a gem cut as a brilliant.
2. A piece of armor consisting of overlapping plates used to protect the buttocks.
[Obsolete French , diminutive of cul, rump, from Latin cūlus; see (s)keu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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