As a noun, a button is a small fastener used to close clothing or a small control you press to operate a device. As a verb, it means to fasten something with buttons.
From Old French 'bouton' meaning 'bud, knob, stud,' related to 'bouter' meaning 'to push.' It entered English in the Middle Ages for clothing fasteners. Later, the same word was reused for pushable controls on machines and electronics.
The original 'button' was more like a little bump than a circle of plastic. When we talk about 'pushing someone's buttons,' we’re using the machine sense to describe emotional triggers. The word stretches neatly from flower buds to shirt fasteners to digital icons you click on a screen.
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