buckle

Inflections of 'buckle' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

buck•le n., v., -led, -ling.
n. [countable]

a piece of metal attached to one end of a belt or strap, used for fastening to the other end of the same strap or to another strap:His brass belt buckle flashed in the light.

to fasten with a buckle or buckles: [~ + object]Buckle your seat belt.[~ + on + object]The officer buckled on his pistol.[~ + object + on]He buckled his pistol on.
to bend because of fatigue:[no object]Suddenly my knees buckled.
to bend, curl, or collapse suddenly because of heat or pressure: [no object]When the earthquake hit, several highways buckled.[~ + object]The intense heat buckled the road.
buckle down, [no object] to set to work with strength and determination:Just buckle down and practice.
buckle under, [no object] to surrender, give way, or yield to another:The stubborn worker finally began to buckle under.
buckle up, [no object] to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles:Please buckle up now; we're about to land.

buck•le n., v., -led, -ling.
n.

a clasp consisting of a rectangular or curved rim with one or more movable tongues, fixed to one end of a belt or strap, used for fastening to the other end of the same strap or to another strap.
any similar contrivance used for such purposes.
Jewelryan ornament of metal, beads, etc., of similar appearance.
a bend, bulge, or kink, as in a board or saw blade.

v.t.

v.i.

to close or fasten with a buckle:Grandmother always wore shoes that buckled.
to prepare oneself or apply oneself:The student buckled to the lesson.
to bend, warp, bulge, or collapse:The bridge buckled in the storm.
to yield, surrender, or give way to another (often fol. by under):She refused to take the medicine, but buckled under when the doctor told her to.
buckle down, to set to work with vigor;
concentrate on one's work:He was by nature a daydreamer and found it hard to buckle down.
buckle up, to fasten one's belt, seat belt, or buckles:She won't start the car until we've all buckled up.

Latin buc(c)ula cheekpiece (of a helmet), strip of wood, etc., resembling a cheekpiece, equivalent. to bucc(a) cheek + -ula -ule
Anglo-French bo(u)cle, bucle
Middle English bocle 1300–50

buck′le•less, adj.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

buckle /ˈbʌk^əl/ n

a clasp for fastening together two loose ends, esp of a belt or strap, usually consisting of a frame with an attached movable prong
an ornamental representation of a buckle, as on a shoe
a kink, bulge, or other distortion: a buckle in a railway track

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French bocle, from Latin buccula a little cheek, hence, cheek strap of a helmet, from bucca cheek

'buckle' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Collocations: (don't forget to) buckle up, buckle under the [pressure, weight, strain], [will, tends to] buckle, more...

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