perforations

A perforation is when a small hole or gap is made through something. This can happen naturally, like a tear in fabric, or it can be done on purpose.

Imagine buying a pack of paper towels and ripping one accidentally while you're using it - that's a kind of perforation. But the word also has other uses. For example, if your wallet has perforations to make it easier to tear off a tab with your name and address, those are designed perforations. Sometimes machines create holes in documents or cards so they can be torn into separate parts without using scissors - that's called a manufacturing perforation.