means A piece of jewelry worn around the neck, often a chain or string of beads, stones, or pearls.

from A plain English compound that does exactly what it says: "neck" plus "lace." The "neck" half traces back to Old English hnecca, the back of the neck. The "lace" half is older and sneakier — it came through Old French laz from Latin laqueus, meaning a noose or snare (the same root that gives us "lasso"). So buried in the word is a quiet truth: a necklace is, etymologically, a cord for snaring the throat — which makes the essence's "leash for your collarbones" closer to the literal history than it might seem.