Adjacent Words

Detent definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

DETENT, n. [L.] A stop in a clock, which by being lifted up or let down, locks and unlocks the clock in striking.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward [syn: pawl, detent, click, dog]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French détente, from Middle French destente, from destendre to slacken, from Old French, from des- de- + tendre to stretch, from Latin tendere — more at thin Date: 1688 a device (as a catch, dog, or spring-operated ball) for positioning and holding one mechanical part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a catch by the removal of which machinery is allowed to move. 2 (in a clock etc.) a catch that regulates striking. Etymology: F détente f. OF destente f. destendre slacken (as DE-, L tendere)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Detent De*tent", n. [F. d['e]tente, fr. d['e]tendre to unbend, relax; pref. d['e]- (L. dis- or de) + tendre to stretch. See Distend.] (Mech.) 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.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Pawl, click, catch, ratchet.