Hypertext Webster Gateway: "detent"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
detent
n : a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a
wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward [syn: {pawl},
{click}, {dog}]
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