'anelace' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'anelys' or 'anelas', which referred to a kind of dagger or short sword.

'anelys' or 'anelas' in Middle English was derived from Old French 'ale(s)naz', and eventually became the modern English word 'anelace'.

Initially, it meant 'a kind of dagger or short sword', and this meaning has remained the same in modern usage, though the word is now archaic.