improvement - the act of improving something; "their improvements increased the value of the property"

darning - the act of mending a hole in a garment with crossing threads

patching - the act of mending a hole in a garment by sewing a patch over it

maintenance, upkeep, care - activity involved in maintaining something in good working order; "he wrote the manual on car care"

quick fix, quickie, quicky, band aid - hurried repair

restoration - the act of restoring something or someone to a satisfactory state

reconstruction - the activity of constructing something again

restitution - the act of restoring something to its original state

bellyband - a strap around the belly of a draft animal holding the shafts of a wagon

buckle - fastener that fastens together two ends of a belt or strap; often has loose prong

button - a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes

carabiner, karabiner, snap ring - an oblong metal ring with a spring clip; used in mountaineering to attach a rope to a piton or to connect two ropes

catch - a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window

clasp - a fastener (as a buckle or hook) that is used to hold two things together

cleat - a fastener (usually with two projecting horns) around which a rope can be secured

clinch - the flattened part of a nail or bolt or rivet

clip - any of various small fasteners used to hold loose articles together

clothes peg, clothes pin, clothespin - wood or plastic fastener; for holding clothes on a clothesline

corrugated fastener, wiggle nail - a small strip of corrugated steel with sharp points on one side; hammered across wood joints in rough carpentry

cottar, cotter - fastener consisting of a wedge or pin inserted through a slot to hold two other pieces together

cringle, grommet, grummet, loop, eyelet - fastener consisting of a metal ring for lining a small hole to permit the attachment of cords or lines

dowel, dowel pin, joggle - a fastener that is inserted into holes in two adjacent pieces and holds them together

stopping, fillet - fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members

hook and eye - a kind of fastener used on clothing

knot - any of various fastenings formed by looping and tying a rope (or cord) upon itself or to another rope or to another object

lashing - rope that is used for fastening something to something else; "the boats were held together by lashings"

linkup, tie-in, link, tie - a fastener that serves to join or link; "the walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction"

lock - a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed

locker - a fastener that locks or closes

nail - a thin pointed piece of metal that is hammered into materials as a fastener

nut and bolt - a fastener made by screwing a nut onto a threaded bolt

paper fastener - a fastener for holding a sheet of paper in place

pin - a small slender (often pointed) piece of wood or metal used to support or fasten or attach things

constraint, restraint - a device that retards something's motion; "the car did not have proper restraints fitted"

screw - a fastener with a tapered threaded shank and a slotted head

seal - fastener that provides a tight and perfect closure

seal, sealing wax - fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters

slide fastener, zip-fastener, zipper, zip - a fastener for locking together two toothed edges by means of a sliding tab

press stud, snap fastener, snap - a fastener used on clothing; fastens with a snapping sound; "children can manage snaps better than buttons"

toggle - a fastener consisting of a peg or pin or crosspiece that is inserted into an eye at the end of a rope or a chain or a cable in order to fasten it to something (as another rope or chain or cable)

toggle bolt - a fastener consisting of a threaded bolt and a hinged spring-loaded toggle; used to fasten objects to hollow walls

sterilisation, sterilization - the act of making an organism barren or infertile (unable to reproduce)

castration, emasculation - neutering a male animal by removing the testicles

spaying - neutering a female by removing the ovaries

histology - the branch of biology that studies the microscopic structure of animal or plant tissues

plastination - a process involving fixation and dehydration and forced impregnation and hardening of biological tissues; water and lipids are replaced by curable polymers (silicone or epoxy or polyester) that are subsequently hardened; "the plastination of specimens is valuable for research and teaching"

preservation - a process that saves organic substances from decay