Emily Dickinson Lexicon

TAS'SEL, n. [W. tasel, a sash, a bandage, a fringe, a tassel; tasiaw, to tie; tas, that binds or hems in; It. tassello, the collar of a cloke.]

1. A sort of pendent ornament, attached to the corners of cushions, to curtains and the like, ending in loose threads.
2. A small ribin of silk sewed to a book, to be put between the leaves. Cyc.
3. In building, tassels are the pieces of boards that lie under the mantle-tree.
4. A bur. [See Teasel.]
5. A male hawk; properly terzol, It. terzuolo.