Picture a cord that is deliberately short, with something tied to one end. It is not a heavy rope for hauling; it is handy, and its whole job is to keep one small thing where you can reach it. Rigging on a boat, a pass round a neck, a braided key ring from camp - the same short cord is under all three.
「lanyard」的核心畫面可以想成一條刻意做得不長的繩子，一端牢牢綁著東西。它不是用來拖重物的粗纜。它短、順手，任務只有一個：讓某樣小東西待在該待的位置，伸手就抓得到。船上的索具、掛在脖子上的識別證、夏令營編出來的鑰匙圈，底下都是同一條短繩。
From the word’s history
The word goes back to late Middle English lainer, lanyer, a strap or thong used to fasten armour, from Old French laniere (thong, lash); the ending was reshaped in the seventeenth century under the influence of yard. A strap whose job is to fasten something is already the modern picture.
這個字往回追是中古英文晚期的 lainer、lanyer，指綁盔甲用的皮帶，再往前是古法文 laniere（皮條、鞭條）。十七世紀時字尾受到 yard 影響才改成現在的樣子。一條「用來把東西綁住」的帶子，正是今天這個字的畫面。
Wiktionary, "lanyard"
登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。