Buttonhold

/ˈbʌtən.hoʊld/ noun

Definition

A small slit or loop in a garment through which a button passes; same as buttonhole.

Etymology

Likely a variant or dialectal form of 'buttonhole,' from 'button' and 'hold,' describing how the fabric grips the button.

Kelly Says

This is a ghost word—a variant that appears in some very old texts but was almost immediately standardized to 'buttonhole,' showing how English settles on single preferred spellings.

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