DETENT

pawl, detent, click, dog

(noun) a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Noun

detent (plural detents)

That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch, pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.

Verb

detent (third-person singular simple present detents, present participle detenting, simple past and past participle detented)

The action of creating a detent mechanism to lock or unlock movement.

Anagrams

• netted, tented

Source: Wiktionary


De*tent", n. Etym: [F. détente, fr. détendre to unbend, relax; pref. dé- (L. dis- or de) + tendre to stretch. See Distend.] (Mech.)

Definition: That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch, pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

3 May 2025

DESIRABLE

(adjective) worth having or seeking or achieving; “a desirable job”; “computer with many desirable features”; “a desirable outcome”


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Coffee Trivia

The average annual yield from one coffee tree is the equivalent of 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of roasted coffee. It takes about 4,000 hand-picked green coffee beans to make a pound of coffee.

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