Earring

Earring, an ornament hung from the ear, usually by a hook, which the lobe is pierced to receive. Occasionally in the East it has been worn singly, but usually both ears are ornamented. Their use is ancient and widespread. They were worn by the ancient Egyptian and Hebrew women as well as by those of Greece from the Homeric age downwards (the Venus of Medici has her ears pierced), while they have often been found in Norse and Anglo-Saxon tombs. In the East they are worn by both sexes. Foreign sailors occasionally affect them, and they are seen in one of Shakespeare's portraits. Popularly they are supposed to be good for the sight, presumably as counter-irritants when the eyes are at all inflamed. At present (1892) they are tending to go out of fashion.