agraffe

or a·grafe

[ uh-graf ]
/ əˈgræf /

noun

a small cramp iron.
a clasp, often richly ornamented, for clothing or armor.
a device, as a hook, for preventing vibration in the section of a piano string between the pin and the bridge.
(in classical architecture) a sculptural relief on the face of a keystone.

Origin of agraffe

1660–70; < French, variant of agrafe, noun derivative of agrafer to hook, equivalent to a- a-5 + grafe hook, cramp iron, probably < Germanic; see grape

Words nearby agraffe

agouty, agr, agr-, agr., agra, agraffe, agram, agrammatism, agranular endoplasmic reticulum, agranulocyte, agranulocytosis

Example sentences from the Web for agraffe

  • What part the Agraffe played in it (a medival beast I imagined) I could not know, could not guess.

    The Crow's Nest |Clarence Day, Jr.

  • But he wrote certain poems, in which Stroom and Graith, and the Agraffe appear.

    The Crow's Nest |Clarence Day, Jr.

  • He added that others such as Stroom, Graith, and Agraffe appeared in his poems.

    The Crow's Nest |Clarence Day, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for agraffe

agraffe

sometimes US agrafe

/ (əˈɡræf) /

noun

a fastening consisting of a loop and hook, formerly used in armour and clothing
a metal cramp used to connect stones

Word Origin for agraffe

C18: from French, from grafe a hook