LATCHET

lach'-et (serokh; himas): Leather thong used for tying on sandals (see Genesis 14:23; Mark 1:7 parallel). The stooping to untie the dusty shoe-latchet was esteemed by Orientals a service that was at once petty and defiling, and was usually assigned to menials.

From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
Edited by James Orr, published in 1939 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.