agrafe

noun

ə-ˈgraf 

variants or agraffe

: a hook-and-loop fastening

especially : an ornamental clasp used on armor or costumes

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French agrafe, going back to Middle French agraffe, probably noun derivative of agrafer "to seize with a grappling hook, attach with a clasp," from a-, prefix forming transitive verbs (going back to Latin ad- ad-) + grafer, graffer "to clamp on," verbal derivative of grafe, graffe "hook," borrowed from Old High German khrapfo, going back to West Germanic *krappō — more at grape

First Known Use

circa 1660, in the meaning defined above