Velcro

American  

[vel-kroh] / ˈvɛl kroʊ /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a type of fastening tape consisting of opposing pieces of fabric, one piece with a dense arrangement of tiny nylon hooks and the other with a dense nylon pile, that interlock when pressed together, used as a closure on garments, luggage, etc., in place of buttons, zippers, and the like.

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Velcro British  

/ ˈvɛlkrəʊ /

noun

1. a fastening consisting of two strips of nylon fabric, one having tiny hooked threads and the other a coarse surface, that form a strong bond when pressed together

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Explanation

When you velcro something, you close or secure it using a fastener with tiny plastic hooks that adhere to tiny loops when you press them together. You should velcro your little sister's boots before she runs outside to play in the snow. As a noun, Velcro is capitalized, since it's a trademarked brand. The man who made it possible for us to velcro any number of things, from dog jackets to electric cord holders to umbrella covers, was Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer. He noticed the way burrs stuck to his dog's fur after a walk in the woods, studied the shape of the burrs under his microscope, and spent 14 years developing Velcro.