I. ˈbə-kəl noun
Etymology: Middle English bocle, from Anglo-French, boss of a shield, buckle, from Latin buccula, diminutive of bucca cheek
Date: 14th century
1. : a fastening for two loose ends that is attached to one and holds the other by a catch
2. : an ornamental device that suggests a buckle
3. archaic : a crisp curl
II. verb
( buck·led ; buck·ling ˈbə-k(ə-)liŋ)
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1. : to fasten with a buckle
2. : to prepare with vigor
3. : to cause to bend, give way, or crumple
intransitive verb
1. : to become fastened with a buckle
2. : to apply oneself with vigor — usually used with down
buckle down to the job
3. : to bend, heave, warp, or kink usually under the influence of some external agency
wheat buckling in the wind
4. : collapse
the props buckled under the strain
5. : to give way : yield
he buckled under pressure
III. noun
Date: circa 1876
1. : a product of buckling : bend , fold
2. : a coffee cake baked with berries and a crumbly topping
blueberry buckle