a small disk, knob, or the like for sewing or otherwise attaching to an article, as of clothing, serving as a fastening when passed through a buttonhole or loop.
2.
anything resembling a button, esp. in being small and round, as any of various candies, ornaments, tags, identification badges, reflectors, markers, etc.
3.
a badge or emblem bearing a name, slogan, identifying figure, etc., for wear on the lapel, dress, etc.: campaign buttons.
4.
any small knob or disk pressed to activate an electric circuit, release a spring, or otherwise operate or open a machine, small door, toy, etc.
5.
Botany. a bud or other protuberant part of a plant.
6.
Mycology.
a.
a young or undeveloped mushroom.
b.
any protuberant part of a fungus.
7.
Zoology. any of various small parts or structures resembling a button, as the rattle at the tip of the tail in a very young rattlesnake.
8.
BoxingInformal. the point of the chin.
9.
Also called turn button.a fastener for a door, window, etc., having two arms and rotating on a pivot that is attached to the frame.
10.
Metallurgy. (in assaying) a small globule or lump of metal at the bottom of a crucible after fusion.
11.
Fencing. the protective, blunting knob fixed to the point of a foil.
But·tonAudio Help (bŭt'n) Pronunciation Key
American figure skater who was U.S. men's champion from 1946 to 1952 and won Olympic gold medals in 1948 and 1952.
1265, from O.Fr. bouton, boton "a button, bud," from bouter, boter "to thrust" (see butt (v.)). Thus a button is, etymologically, something that pushes up, or thrusts out. Button-hole (n.) is from 1561; the verb is from 1862, an alteration of button-hold (1834) "to catch someone by the button and hold him in conversation against his will."
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
2.
an electrical switch operated by pressing; "the elevator was operated by push buttons"; "the push beside the bed operated a buzzer at the desk" [syn: push button]
3.
any of various plant parts that resemble buttons
4.
a round flat badge displaying information and suitable for pinning onto a garment; "they passed out campaign buttons for their candidate"
5.
a female sexual organ homologous to the penis [syn: clitoris]
6.
a device that when pressed will release part of a mechanism [syn: release]
7.
any artifact that resembles a button
verb
1.
provide with buttons; "button a shirt"
2.
fasten with buttons; "button the dress" [ant: unbutton]
Main Entry: but·ton Pronunciation: 'b&t-&n Function: noun : something that resembles a small knob or disk: as a:
the terminal segment of a rattlesnake's rattle b:COTYLEDON 1
button 1. push-button. 2. A graphical representation of an electrical push-button appearing as part of a graphical user interface. Moving the mouse pointer over the graphical button and pressing one of the physical mouse buttons starts some software action such as closing a window or deleting a file. See also radio button. (1997-07-07)
Beat\, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS. be['a]tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b?zan. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum. Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. --Ex. xxx. 36. They did beat the gold into thin plates. --Ex. xxxix. 3. 2. To punish by blows; to thrash. 3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game. To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. --Prior. 4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind. A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. --Milton. 5. To tread, as a path. Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. --Blackmore. 6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass. He beat them in a bloody battle. --Prescott. For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. --M. Arnold. 7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out. [Colloq.] 8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble. Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic? --Locke. 9. (Mil.) To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc. To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.] To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition. To beat off, to repel or drive back. To beat out, to extend by hammering. To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." --South. To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low. To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot. To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation. To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot. To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters. Syn: To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.
Bot"tom\, n. [OE. botme, perh. corrupt. for button. See Button.] A ball or skein of thread; a cocoon. [Obs.] Silkworms finish their bottoms in . . . fifteen days. --Mortimer.
Bud\, n. [OE. budde; cf. D. bot, G. butze, butz, the core of a fruit, bud, LG. butte in hagebutte, hainbutte, a hip of the dog-rose, or OF. boton, F. bouton, bud, button, OF. boter to bud, push; all akin to E. beat. See Button.]1. (Bot.) A small protuberance on the stem or branches of a plant, containing the rudiments of future leaves, flowers, or stems; an undeveloped branch or flower. 2. (Biol.) A small protuberance on certain low forms of animals and vegetables which develops into a new organism, either free or attached. See Hydra. Bud moth (Zo["o]l.), a lepidopterous insect of several species, which destroys the buds of fruit trees; esp. Tmetocera ocellana and Eccopsis malana on the apple tree.
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