buttonhole

B2 Topic:Clothing & Appearance

US /ˈbʌtənˌhoʊl/ UK /ˈbʌt.ən.həʊl/ See IPA manual

Freq #46741

Meanings

1

noun
a slit in a garment through which a button passes to fasten it

Cecily slipped the rose's stem through Algernon's buttonhole.
2

noun
chiefly British, a flower or small spray of flowers worn through a lapel buttonhole

Algernon asked for a buttonhole before lunch, so Cecily cut him a pink rose.
3

verb
to stop someone and detain them in conversation, often in order to press a request or opinion

A critic buttonholed the actor in the theatre lobby after the performance.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · chiefly british, a flower... boutonniereposy

3 verb · to stop someone and detain... accost corner waylay

Word family

Forms buttonholes

Derived forms buttonholer

Related forms buttonlapelboutonnierebuttonhook

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

buttonhole stitch
a looped sewing stitch used to strengthen a fabric edge or buttonhole

Noun + noun

Etymology

Originally an alteration of buttonhold, a loop or fastening that held a button, reshaped under the influence of hole and now understood as button + hole. The flower sense came from wearing a bloom through a lapel buttonhole; the verb arose from grasping someone by a coat buttonhole to keep them talking.

Topics

Clothing & Appearance Register & Style

External links

# buttonhole

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun, verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈbʌtənˌhoʊl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈbʌt.ən.həʊl/
**Frequency rank:** 46741

## Meanings
1. a slit in a garment through which a button passes to fasten it
2. chiefly British, a flower or small spray of flowers worn through a lapel buttonhole
3. to stop someone and detain them in conversation, often in order to press a request or opinion

## Examples
- Cecily slipped the rose's stem through Algernon's buttonhole.
- Algernon asked for a buttonhole before lunch, so Cecily cut him a pink rose.
- A critic buttonholed the actor in the theatre lobby after the performance.

## Synonyms
- boutonniere
- accost
- corner
- waylay

## Derived Forms
- buttonholer

## Related Forms
- button
- lapel
- boutonniere
- buttonhook

## Etymology
Originally an alteration of buttonhold, a loop or fastening that held a button, reshaped under the influence of hole and now understood as button + hole. The flower sense came from wearing a bloom through a lapel buttonhole; the verb arose from grasping someone by a coat buttonhole to keep them talking.

## Topics
- Clothing & Appearance
- Register & Style

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