epaulettes

Noun

epaulette (plural epaulettes)

1. An ornamentation, worn on the shoulders of a military uniform, as a sign of rank.
   • He would have answered for it at the end of a quarter of an hour that some of the glass cases contained swords and epaulettes of ancient colonels and generals; medals and orders once pinned over hearts that had long since ceased to beat; […]1903 September 28, Henry James, The Ambassadors, London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC

   Synonyms:

   shoulder board, shoulder mark, shoulder strap

2. A similar piece of trimming on a lady’s dress.
3. A plate on the anterior wings of some insects.

   Synonyms:

   tegula

4. The red patch on the shoulders of a red-winged blackbird.