buckle

[buhk-uh l] /ˈbʌk əl/
noun
1.
a clasp consisting of a rectangular or curved rim with one or more movable tongues, fixed to one end of a belt or strap, used for fastening to the other end of the same strap or to another strap.
2.
any similar contrivance used for such purposes.
3.
an ornament of metal, beads, etc., of similar appearance.
4.
a bend, bulge, or kink, as in a board or saw blade.
verb (used with object), buckled, buckling.
5.
to fasten with a buckle or buckles:
Buckle your seat belt.
6.
to shrivel, by applying heat or pressure; bend; curl.
7.
to prepare (oneself) for action; apply (oneself) vigorously to something.
8.
to bend, warp, or cause to give way suddenly, as with heat or pressure.
verb (used without object), buckled, buckling.
9.
to close or fasten with a buckle:
Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.
10.
to prepare oneself or apply oneself:
The student buckled to the lesson.
11.
to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse:
The bridge buckled in the storm.
12.
to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often followed by under):
She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.
Verb phrases
13.
buckle down, to set to work with vigor; concentrate on one's work:
He was by nature a daydreamer and found it hard to buckle down.
14.
buckle up, to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles:
She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.
Origin
1300-50; Middle English bocle < Anglo-French bo(u)cle, bucle < Latin buc(c)ula cheekpiece (of a helmet), strip of wood, etc., resembling a cheekpiece, equivalent to bucc(a) cheek + -ula -ule
Related forms
buckleless, adjective
rebuckle, verb, rebuckled, rebuckling.
Synonyms
8. sag, bulge, twist; crumple, collapse.
Examples from the web for buckle
  • But once children or long work hours enter the picture, even proud shoppers buckle.
  • The pilot tells us to buckle up, folks, we're coming in for a landing.
  • These were connected with serpentine-shaped wires that buckle and change shape as the balloon inflates, rather than fracturing.
  • In a collision a compressor inflates the bag by pushing air through the buckle and into the seat belt strap.
  • But in the end, the much-touted venture did not yield enough of the stuff for a single belt buckle.
  • The tip of the tie should barely touch the top of the belt buckle.
  • Basically it's a two-ended strap with a snap buckle in the middle and rings on the ends.
  • He returned his attention to his belt buckle, his forehead pale and damp.
  • Moreover, serious challenges to national decision-makers doesn't mean that governments are all poised to buckle under pressure.
  • Don't forget the fripperies, the buckle on the shoe, the initial on the napkin.
British Dictionary definitions for buckle

buckle

/ˈbʌkəl/
noun
1.
a clasp for fastening together two loose ends, esp of a belt or strap, usually consisting of a frame with an attached movable prong
2.
an ornamental representation of a buckle, as on a shoe
3.
a kink, bulge, or other distortion: a buckle in a railway track
verb
4.
to fasten or be fastened with a buckle
5.
to bend or cause to bend out of shape, esp as a result of pressure or heat
Word Origin
C14: from Old French bocle, from Latin buccula a little cheek, hence, cheek strap of a helmet, from bucca cheek
Word Origin and History for buckle
n.

"spiked metal ring for holding a belt, etc., c.1300, bukel, from Old French bocle "boss (of a shield)," then "shield," then by further extension "buckle, metal ring," (12c., Modern French boucle), from Latin buccula "cheek strap of a helmet," in Late Latin "boss of a shield," diminutive of bucca "cheek" (see bouche).

Boucle in the middle ages had the double sense of a "shield's boss" and "a ring"; the last sense has alone survived, and it metaph. developed in the boucle de cheveux, ringlets. [Kitchin]

v.

late 14c., bokelen, "to fasten with a buckle," from buckle (n.). Related: Buckled; buckling. To buckle down "apply effort, settle down," (1874) is said to be a variant of knuckle down (see knuckle).

"distort, warp, bend out of shape" 1520s, bokelen "to arch the body," from Middle French boucler "to bulge," from Old French bocler "to bulge," from bocle "boss of a shield" (see buckle (n.)). Meaning "bend under strong pressure" is from 1590s (figurative from 1640s) . Related: Buckled; buckling.

Slang definitions & phrases for buckle

buckle

verb

To hit; clobber (1990s+ Teenagers)


Encyclopedia Article for buckle

clasp or catch, particularly for fastening the ends of a belt; or a clasplike ornament, especially for shoes. The belt buckle was often used in Greece and Rome and became an indispensable part of the Teutonic warrior's equipment, as well as the object of special care on the part of metalsmiths, who ornamented many buckles with rich and intricate designs

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