Link Centre Dictionary

buttonhole

but·ton·hole

US/ˈbʌtənˌhoʊl/ rare archaic obsolete rare uk
noun (1) verb (1)

noun

1.

a hole through which buttons are pushed

Synonyms

verb

1.

detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of; as for political or economic favors

Synonyms

Origin

Originally buttonhold (“a loop of string to hold a button down”), but changed by folk etymology by influence of hole. By surface analysis, button + hole.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.