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Webster 1913 Edition

Latch

Latch

(lăch)
,
Verb.
T.
[Cf. F.
lécher
to lick (of German origin). Cf.
Lick
.]
To smear; to anoint.
[Obs.]
Shak.

Latch

,
Noun.
[OE.
lacche
, fr.
lacchen
to seize, As.
læccan
.]
1.
That which fastens or holds; a lace; a snare.
[Obs.]
Rom. of R.
2.
A movable piece which holds anything in place by entering a notch or cavity; specifically, the catch which holds a door or gate when closed, though it be not bolted.
3.
(Naut.)
A latching.
4.
A crossbow.
[Obs.]
Wright.

Latch

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Latched
(lăcht)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Latching
.]
[OE.
lacchen
. See
Latch
.
Noun.
]
1.
To catch so as to hold.
[Obs.]
Those that remained threw darts at our men, and
latching
our darts, sent them again at us.
Golding.
2.
To catch or fasten by means of a latch.
The door was only
latched
.
Locke.

Webster 1828 Edition

Latch

LATCH

,
Noun.
[L. ligula, from ligo, to tie, and with English lock. L. laqueus, from which we have lace, may belong to the same root. The primary sense of the root is to catch, to close, stop or make fast.]
1.
A small piece of iron or wood used to fasten a door.
2.
A small line like a loop, used to lace the bonnets to the courses, or the drabblers to the bonnets.

LATCH

, v.t.
1.
To fasten with a latch; to fasten.
2.
To smear. [Not used.]

Definition 2025

latch

latch

See also: LATCH

English

A latch

Noun

latch ‎(plural latches)

  1. A fastening for a door that has a bar that fits into a notch or slot, and is lifted by a lever or string from either side.
    • 1912: Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan of the Apes, Chapter 4
      The cleverly constructed latch which Clayton had made for the door had sprung as Kerchak passed out; nor could the apes find means of ingress through the heavily barred windows.
  2. A flip-flop electronic circuit
  3. (obsolete) A latching.
  4. (obsolete) A crossbow.
  5. (obsolete) That which fastens or holds; a lace; a snare.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Rom. of R to this entry?)
  6. A breastfeeding baby's connection to the breast.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

latch ‎(third-person singular simple present latches, present participle latching, simple past and past participle latched)

  1. To close or lock as if with a latch
  2. To catch; lay hold of
    • Where hearing should not latch them. — Shakespeare, MacBeth, Act IV
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

Compare French lécher ‎(“to lick”).

Verb

latch ‎(third-person singular simple present latches, present participle latching, simple past and past participle latched)

  1. (obsolete) To smear; to anoint.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)

Etymology

From Middle English latche ‎(“a latch”, noun), from lacchen ‎(“to seize, catch, grasp”, verb), from Old English læċċan ‎(“to grasp, take hold of, catch, seize”), from Proto-Germanic *lakjaną, *lakwijaną, *lakkijaną ‎(“to seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)leh₂g-, *(s)leh₂gʷ- ‎(“to take, seize”).

Pronunciation

  • enPR: lăch, IPA(key): /lætʃ/
  • Rhymes: -ætʃ

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