A fastening system made of two strips of fabric that stick together when pressed, one with tiny hooks and one with soft loops.
A portmanteau from French 'velours' (velvet) and 'crochet' (hook), created in 1941 by Swiss engineer George de Mestral who got the idea from burrs sticking to his dog's fur. He combined the two French words to name his invention.
George de Mestral literally invented Velcro by studying nature—those sticky burrs taught him engineering! And he combined two French words to name it, which is why even though Velcro seems super modern, its name is from the 1940s and based on something humans have known about for millennia: annoying burrs.
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