n. 1. A hook-and-loop arrangement used for a clasp on armor and clothing. 2. A cramp iron for holding stones together in building. [French agrafe, from agrafer, to hook onto : a-, to (from Latin ad-; see AD-) + grafer, to hook (from grafe, hook, from Old High German krāpfo).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.