velcro
velcro
UK[ˈvɛlkrəʊ]US[ˈvɛlkroʊ]
n
A fastener for clothes or other items, consisting of two strips of thin plastic sheet, one covered with tiny loops and the other with tiny flexible hooks, which adhere when pressed together.
v
To fasten or be fastened with Velcro.
Etymology
The word 'Velcro' is a portmanteau, a blend of two French words: 'velours' (meaning "velvet") and 'crochet' (meaning "hook"). It was coined in the 1940s by Swiss engineer George de Mestral, who invented the hook-and-loop fastener after studying the burrs that clung to his dog's fur and his own clothing. The name directly and cleverly describes the material's two key components: the soft, looped "velvet" side and the rough, "hooked" side. As the product became ubiquitous, the trademark entered the language as a generic term for any similar fastener, exemplifying the process of genericization.
Analysis
This is a proprietary name (trademark) adopted as a common word. It is not productively formed from separable English morphemes.
Examples
The child's shoes have velcro straps instead of laces.
He velcroed the protective padding securely around his knee.
The bag's flap closes with a simple piece of velcro.