Buttonholes are holes in fabric that're paired with functional buttons (as opposed to decorative buttons) that serve as fasteners. Buttonholes may be either made by hand sewing or automated by a sewing machine. A buttonhole may be replaced by a loop of cloth or rope, such as in a Mandarin button. The etymology of the term buttonhole came from buttonhold (originally a loop of string that held a button down). History Buttonholes for fastening or closing clothing with buttons appeared first in… (More on Buttonhole)