A button is used to fasten or close a piece of clothing.
A button is an element that, on a garment , must be inserted into the buttonhole to close or fasten . The concept, in any case, is used in multiple ways as detailed by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary.
Before knowing the meanings of the term in detail, we must proceed to discover its etymological origin. In this case we have to explain that it is a word that derives from the French bouton , which is used in the field of botany to refer to a “gem of a flower” .
Button Features
Shirts and jackets are garments that usually have buttons. Others, like pants , may have buttons or a zipper ( closure ). Beyond their useful use, sometimes buttons only have a decorative purpose.
Generally the buttons are flattened and round in shape. There are wooden , metal and plastic buttons, among other materials. When the garment is of poor quality, or the user handles them roughly, the buttons may come off and must be sewn or glued back on.
Many devices are turned on and off with a button.
Turning on and off a machine
The object that, when pressed or pressed, allows you to start, turn off or modify the operation of a mechanism or machine , is also called a button. Televisions, elevators, radios, and computers have buttons.
For example: “Can you turn on the TV, please? You have to press the round button next to the light” , “The volume down button on the radio broke” , “I accidentally pressed the button and turned off the light” .
panic button
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot forget the existence of what is known as the panic button . This is a button that is designed as an alarm within security systems and is used as a hidden element to inform the control center that there is a dangerous situation.
Typically, these panic buttons are placed, for example, under a bank counter. This way, if thieves break in, the employee will be able to press the button without the criminals realizing that they have alerted the authorities.
We cannot ignore that there are different types of panic buttons. Thus, there are wall-mounted ones, keyboard ones or wireless ones, for example.
Other uses of the term
In Argentina, the idea of a button is used in colloquial language to refer to a snitch or a police officer : “Don't be a button! “Don't tell the boss that I was late,” “A button took me to the police station because I was singing in the street with my friends.”
Likewise in the world of cinema we find a film that has the word in question in its title. We are referring to “Anchor Button” ( 1961 ), directed by Miguel Lluch and which revolves around the adventures of three midshipmen.