Velcro

Velcro is a brand name and trademark owned by the Velcro Companies for hook-and-loop fasteners."Velcro." The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. Hook-and-loop fasteners have a "hook" side, which is a piece of fabric covered with tiny hooks, and a "loop" side, which is covered with even smaller and "hairier" loops. When the two sides are pressed together, the hooks catch in the loops and hold the pieces together.

 Creation 
The person who invented hook-and-loop was a scientist named George de Mestral. During a hunting vacation in Switzerland, de Mestral came home one evening and tried to remove the burrs stuck to his dog's fur. He was very surprised to see how hard the burrs were to remove. That night he studied the burrs under a microscope and noticed that each burr was covered with hundreds of small hooks acting like grasping hands. De Mestral decided that this burr could be made to close fabric instead of buttons and zippers.

 Vocabulary 

George de Mestral created the Velcro trademark by combining the French words for velvet (velour) and hook (crochet).

 References 

 Other websites 


 closeup of Velcro hooks and loops
 VELCRO USA INC. Celebrates 50TH 
 VELCRO Patent  - from Google Patents Anniversary
 Adhesives Guide by Velcro USA  - Adhesive Guide by Velcro USA

Category:1952 establishments in Europe
Category:20th-century establishments in Switzerland
Category:Brands
Category:Companies of the United Kingdom