[buck.le] n [ME bocle, fr. MF , boss of a shield, buckle, fr. L buccula, dim. of bucca cheek] (14c) 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
[2]buckle vb buck.led ; buck.ling vt (14c) 1: to fasten with a buckle
2: to prepare with vigor
3: to cause to bend, give way, or crumple ~ vi 1: to become fastened with a buckle
2: to apply oneself with vigor "~s down to the job"
3: to bend, heave, warp, or kink usu. 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" [3]buckle n (ca. 1876) 1: a product of buckling
2: a coffee cake baked with berries and a crumbly topping "blueberry ~"