but·ton·hole

[buht-n-hohl] noun, verb, but·ton·holed, but·ton·hol·ing.
noun
1.
the hole, slit, or loop through which a button is passed and by which it is secured.
2.
Chiefly British. a boutonniere.
3.
Surgery. a short, straight incision through the wall of a cavity or a canal.
verb (used with object)
4.
to sew with a buttonhole stitch.
5.
to make buttonholes in.
6.
to hold by the buttonhole or otherwise abruptly detain (someone) in conversation: The reporter tried to buttonhole the mayor for a statement on the bus strike.
00:10
Buttonhole is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
to bark; yelp.
to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.
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Origin:
1555–65; button + hole

Related forms
but·ton·hol·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
buttonhole (ˈbʌtənˌhəʊl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  a slit in a garment, etc, through which a button is passed to fasten two surfaces together
2.  US name: boutonniere a flower or small bunch of flowers worn pinned to the lapel or in the buttonhole, esp at weddings, formal dances, etc
 
—vb
3.  to detain (a person) in conversation
4.  to make buttonholes in
5.  to sew with buttonhole stitch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

buttonhole
1560s, from button + hole. The verb meaning "to detain (someone) in conversation against his will" (1862) was earlier button-hold (1834), from button-holder (1806, in this sense). The image is of holding someone by the coat-button so as to detain him.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

buttonhole but·ton·hole (bŭt'n-hōl')
n.

  1. A short straight surgical cut made through the wall of a cavity or canal.

  2. The contraction of an orifice down to a narrow slit, as in mitral stenosis.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary

buttonhole definition


  1. tv.
    to accost someone; to make someone listen to one. (As if grabbing someone by the coat lapel to keep them from getting away.) : The guy buttonholed me on my way out, and started asking me a lot of questions.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
Measure collar from center of collar button to far end of collar buttonhole.
The tab and snap are used to secure the liner sleeves--use of a button and buttonhole or loop is unacceptable.
There's no reason they won't have a video camera located in a buttonhole, maybe even a video projector.
He missed his first buttonhole, so all the rest of them were off.
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