velcro
part of speech
noun (Velcro, uncountable — a brand name; velcro in general use); verb (velcro, velcros, velcroed — informal)
meaning for a pupil
1) Velcro is a fastener made of two strips: one with tiny hooks and one with tiny loops, which stick together when pressed and pull apart with a ripping sound. tree →
2) (informal) To velcro something is to fasten it with Velcro. tree →
sense in the lessons
In science and design lessons it is a famous example of biomimicry: the Swiss engineer George de Mestral invented it after studying burrs (seeds with hooks) stuck in his dog's fur. In everyday life it is on children's shoes, coats and bags. Phrases: «Velcro shoes», «Velcro strap», «hook and loop».
examples
- My little brother has Velcro shoes because he can't tie laces yet. tree →
- Velcro was inspired by burrs stuck on a dog's fur. tree →
- One side of Velcro has hooks and the other has loops. tree →
- The Velcro strap on my bag makes a loud ripping sound. tree →
- Astronauts use Velcro to stop things floating away. tree →
- Look at Velcro under a magnifying glass to see the hooks. tree →
note
It is a brand name, so it often has a capital V; the general name is «hook-and-loop fastener». Uncountable: some Velcro, a strip of Velcro. Myth: NASA did not invent Velcro, though astronauts used it.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «velcro» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.