buttonhole

noun

Save Word

but·ton·hole | \ ˈbə-tᵊn-ˌhōl

Definition of buttonhole

(Entry 1 of 3)

1 : a slit or loop through which a button is passed

2 chiefly British : boutonniere

buttonhole

verb (1)

buttonholed; buttonholing; buttonholes

Definition of buttonhole (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to furnish with buttonholes

2 : to work with buttonhole stitch

buttonhole

verb (2)

buttonholed; buttonholing; buttonholes

Definition of buttonhole (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

: to detain in conversation by or as if by holding on to the outer garments of

Keep scrolling for more

Other Words from buttonhole Did you know? Phrases Containing buttonhole Learn More About buttonhole

Keep scrolling for more

Did you know?

Buttonhole is easy to pin down as a noun referring to the slit or loop through which a button is passed to fasten something, but its shift to a verb meaning "to detain in conversation" requires some explanation. Buttonhole is an alteration of another verb now long out of use: buttonhold, which literally meant to hold on to the buttons or lapels of someone's coat when speaking to him or her. In the mid-19th century, English speakers altered the verb to buttonhole, perhaps as a result of hearing buttonhold as buttonholed. The overlap is apparent in an early instance of this spelling in an 1862 London publication called All Year Round: "The man who is button-holed, or held … and must listen to half an hour's harangue about nothing interesting."