▪ I. latch, n.1
(lætʃ)
Forms: 4–5 lach, lacch(e, 5–6 (7) lache, 5–6 latche, 6– latch.
[The equivalence of sense 1 with lace n. suggests that the word (in that sense at least) may be a. OF. lache lace, a vbl. noun f. lachier (= Central OF. lacier):—popular L. *laciāre, f. *lacium lace n. Sense 2 is prob. a development of this; on the other hand, the analogy of catch n. gives some support to the view that it may be f. latch v.1]
1. A loop or noose; a gin, snare; a ‘tangle’; a latchet, thong. a latch of links: (dial.) a string of sausages. Obs. exc. dial. and techn.
| ? a 1366 Chaucer Rom. Rose 1624 Love wil noon other bridde cacche Though he sette either net or lacche. 1624 Capt. Smith Virginia iv. 129 She [the ship] was fast in the latch of our cable, which in haste of weighing our anchor hung aloofe. 1653 H. Cogan tr. Pinto's Trav. xxii. 79 All Scepters do serve but as latches to his most rich sandals. 1840 Spurdens Suppl. to Forby (E.D.S.), Latch,..As a sb., it means a thong of leather. 1895 E. Angl. Gloss., Latch of Links, a string of sausages. |
2. A fastening for a door or gate, so contrived as to admit of its being opened from the outside. It now usually consists of a small bar which falls or slides into a catch, and is lifted or drawn by means of a thumb-lever, string, etc. passed through the door. Now also, a small kind of spring-lock for a front-door (more fully night-latch) which is opened from the outside by means of a key. on the latch: (said of a door) fastened with a latch only; so off the latch, unlatched, ajar. Also with qualifying word, as dead-, night-, spring-, q.v.
| 1331 [? implied by draw-latch 2]. 1382 Wyclif Song Sol. v. 6 The lach of my dore I openede to my lemman. a 1400 Pistill of Susan 229 To þe ȝate ȝapely they ȝedyn..And he left up þe lacche. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. st. 732 And breke up bothe lok and lache. c 1440 Partonope 5440 Vp she nome The lacch of the dore and in she come. 1520 [see catch n.1 10]. 1575 Gamm. Gurton iii. iii, Take heede, Cocke, pull in the latche! 1611 Shakes. Wint. T. iv. iv. 449 If euer henceforth, thou These rurall Latches, to his entrance open. 1624–5 in Swayne Churchw. Acc. Sarum (1896) 180 A cache and a Lache for the Church gate. 1637 Heywood Royall King iii. vii. Wks. 1874 VI. 47 Pray draw the latch, sir. 1765 Wesley Jrnl. 25 May, The door [is] only on the latch. 1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek iii. 54 For want of a latch, the gate..was tied. 1842 Tennyson Dora 127 The door was off the latch: they peep'd and saw The boy set up betwixt his grandsire's knees. 1851 Longfellow Gold. Leg. ii. In the Garden, To thee it [the thought of death] is not So much even as the lifting of a latch. 1885 Black Wh. Heather ii, The outer door is on the latch, thieves being unheard of in this remote neighbourhood. |
3. techn. a. † (a) The click of the ratchet-wheel of a loom (obs.). † (b) See quot. 1704 (obs.). (c) Naut. = lasket. (d) ‘A cord clamp which holds the in-board end of a mackerel-line’ (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875). (e) The part of a knitting-machine needle which closes the hook to allow the loop to pass over its head (= fly n.2 5 f).
| 1688 R. Holme Armoury iii. 107/2 The Latch [of a Loome] is an Iron or peece of Wood that falls into the Catch of the Wheel aforesaid, which holds the Yarn Beam from turning. 1704 J. Harris Lex. Techn. I, Latches are those Parts of a Clock which [wind] up, and unlock the Work. 1710 Ibid. II, Latches, in a Ship, are the same with Laskets. 1875 Knight Dict. Mech. 1238/2 Two positions of the latch-needle: one with the latch lying back,..the other showing the hook closed by the latch. |
b. Electronics. A logic circuit which retains whatever output state results from a momentary input signal until the application of a different signal to the same input point or the same signal to a different point. Also latch circuit.
| 1959 E. M. Grabbe et al. Handbk. Automation, Computation, & Control II. xvii. 6 A delay element is provided with external gating which enables it to hold information provided on the ‘set’ input until a ‘reset’ input of 1 occurs. This configuration..is sometimes referred to as a latch. 1962 Simpson & Richards Physical Princ. Junction Transistors xvi. 403 A variant of it [sc. the ‘flip-flop’], known as the latch, is an asymmetric bistable multivibrator. 1971 J. H. Smith Digital Logic iv. 54 A push button might be pressed and at a certain time in a machine sequence the fact that the button was pressed may be needed to change the sequence. The latch circuit is therefore used to ‘remember’ that a push button has been pressed. Ibid., A 1 signal applied momentarily to the set input of NOR 1 will make O/P1 a 0 signal... To reset the latch a 1 signal is fed to the reset input which makes O/P2 fall to 0. As NOR 1 no longer has a 1 input, O/P1 changes to 1, thereby holding O/P2 at the 0 level. |
† 4. Mil. Antiq. (See quots.) Obs.
| 1547–8 in Meyrick Ant. Arm. (1824) III. 10 Crosse-bowes called latches, windlasses for them. 1786 Grose Armour & Weapons 59 There were two sorts of English cross bows, one called Latches, the other Prodds. |
5. attrib. and Comb., as latch-hole; latch-like adj.; latch bolt (see quots.); latch-closer, -lifter, -opener, devices for closing and opening the latch of a knitting-machine needle (Knight Dict. Mech. 1875); † latch-drawer, one who draws or lifts the latch to enter for an unlawful purpose: = draw-latch 2; latch-needle, a kind of knitting-machine needle, the hook of which is closed by a latch (see 3 e). Also latch-key, latch-string.
| 1909 Cent. Dict. Suppl., *Latch-bolt, any latch or door-bolt, controlled by a spring and having a beveled head which, when the door is closed, is pressed back by meeting the strike and is thrown out again when the door is shut: the common form of self-locking bolt. 1958 Encycl. Locks (J. Parkes & Sons Ltd.) 247 A spring bolt, called also a latch bolt, of a lock or latch is one which having been drawn in shoots out automatically as soon as the handle or key is released. |
| 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ix. 288 Lyers and *lacche-drawers. c 1440 Jacob's Well 134 Lacche-drawerys, þat vndon mennys dorys. |
| 1861 Geo. Eliot Silas M. iv, Dunstan..pushed his fingers through the *latch-hole. 1894 Crockett Raiders 246 One that came to the door and spied upon me through the latch-hole. |
| 1875 *Latch-needle [see 3]. |
Add: [5.] latch hook, a hand-tool used chiefly in rug-making to draw the yarn through the canvas.
| 1900 J. K. Mumford Oriental Rugs xii. 235 One division of these Turkoman carpets, which avoids on the one hand close adherence to the Bokhara device, and on the other the *latch-hook style of the Yomuds, is called Beshir. 1937 Textile Mercury & Argus 16 July 63/2 Latch-hook design. This design motif..is the characteristic mark of Caucasian rugs and carpets since it is rarely absent from either field or border. It is not seen in Persian rugs. 1981 Handtools of Arts & Crafts (Diagram Group) xv. 256/4 Latch hooks for knotted rugs; these hooks take the yarn through the canvas and bring it back to the surface. |
▪ II. † latch, n.2 Naut. Obs.
[? cf. lurch n.]
? = lurch. (See also lee-latch, lee n.)
| a 1687 Petty Pol. Arith. iii. (1691) 51 Such [Ships] as draw much Water, and have a deep Latch in the Sea. |
▪ III. latch, v.1
(lætʃ)
Forms: 1 læcc(e)an, ᵹelæcc(e)an, Northumb. læcca, 3 Orm. lacchenn, 3–4 (6) lache, 3–4 lacche, 4 lach, (lachche, laache, lachi), 4–5 lachen, 6 latche, (Sc. lauch), 6– latch. pa. tense. α. 1 (ᵹe)læht(e, Northumb. (ᵹe)lahte, 3 laht(e, 3–4 laght, lauȝt(e, (3 lahut, 4 laught, lauȝtte, lauht, laute, lawte, lawght, leȝte), 4–5 laȝt. β. 4 lached, Sc. lacht, 7 latcht, 7– latched. pa. pple. α. 1 (ᵹe-)læht, 3 lah(h)t, laȝt, 4 lauht, laught(e, 4–5 lauȝte, 5 laȝt, laght(e, y-lauȝthe. β. 4 lachched, lached, 6 Sc. lachit, 4, 7– latched.
[OE. læcc(e)an (Northumb. læcca) wk. vb.; not found in the other Teut. langs.; the OTeut. type *lakk- may represent either pre-Teut. *laqn- cogn. w. L. laqueus (see lace n.), OSl. lęca to catch, ensnare, po-lęcĭ snare, or *lagn- cogn. w. Gr. λάζεσθαι (:—*lagy-) to take.]
1. a. trans. To take hold of, grasp, seize (esp. with the hand or claws); to clasp, embrace (with the arms); to grasp with the mind, to comprehend. Now only intr. or absol. with on, † at, † till.
| c 1000 ælfric Gram. viii. (Z.) 23 Ðis þing ic ᵹelæhte. c 1000 ælfric Hom. II. 122 Germanus ᵹelæhte ðone pistol æt Gregories ærendracan, and hine totær. c 1160 Hatton Gosp. Mark ix. 18 Se swa hwær he hine læcd [Ags. Gosp. ᵹelæcð] forgnit hine. a 1225 Ancr. R. 102 Hweðer þe cat of helle claurede.., & cauhte [v. rr. lahte, lachte], mid his cleafres, hir heorte heaued? a 1225 Juliana 38 Þis eadie meiden..þen engel leop to ant lahte him. c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 2621 A fostre wimman, On was tette he sone aueð laȝt. a 1300 K. Horn 243 Horn in herte laȝte Al þat he him taȝte. a 1300 Cursor M. 7240 Quils sampson slepped, sco laght a schere, His hare sco kerf. 13.. Parlt. thre Ages 52 Bot at the laste he loutted doun & laughte till his mete. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 328 Lyȝtly lepez he hym to, & laȝt at his honde. c 1375 Sc. Leg. Saints, Barnabas 140 And fra Barnabas had tauchte Þe trewcht to hyme, he it sone lacht. 1387–8 T. Usk Test. Love i. iii. (Skeat) l. 51 Then were there inowe to lache myne handes, and drawe me to shippe. c 1400 St. Alexius (Laud 622) 219 And whan he [Alexius] seide had al his wille þe holy gost hir lauȝtte. a 1440 Sir Degrev. 827 And I in armus had y-lauȝthe That commely and swete. |
| 1937 Esquire Jan. 146/2 Dar's uh green sedan up front, uh fo' do' job. Latch on it 'n earn dis dime. 1940 Sat. Even. Post 13 Jan. 17/3, I latched onto a shark and killed it. 1946 B. Treadwell Big. Bk. of Swing 125/1 Latch on, grab on to. 1951 I. Shaw Troubled Air viii. 144 They're out for something of their own and they latch on to us. 1954 D. Riesman Individualism Reconsidered xiv. 220 [He] has latched on to American consumption know-how at its most garish. 1957 New Yorker 29 June 68/2 Mr. Kelly has latched on to a sound (indeed, indestructible) idea for keeping a film in motion. 1959 C. MacInnes Absolute Beginners 58 Hundreds of pure pink numbers..who've latched on to the Welfare thing, but don't belong here. 1962 J. Wain Strike Father Dead 107 It was a long time before I could latch on to what was happening. Then I got it. 1968 Listener 27 June 837/1 When the doctor said, ‘You're going to die, you'd better come back into hospital,’ I said: ‘Thanks for telling me. I'm going to latch on to life and I'm not coming back to hospital.’ 1971 Engineering Apr. 41/3 The astute entrepreneurs are latching on to the idea. 1972 C. Drummond Death at Bar i. 36 Jarvis soon latched on to two portly dowagers—relatives of his hostess. |
† b. To put or strike swiftly off, out, up; to dart out (the tongue). Also fig. Obs.
| a 1225 St. Marher. 9 Lahte ut his tunge swa long þat he swong hire al abuten his swire, ant semde as þa ha scharp sweord of his muð lahte. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 425 Now lorde lach out my lyf, hit lastes to longe. c 1350 Will. Palerne 1244 Þanne liȝtly lep he a-doun & lauȝt out his brond. Ibid. 2308 Our wurþi werwolf..lauȝt vp þe ȝong lyoun liȝtly in his mouþe. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 1515 Þay ledde hym furthe in þe rowte, and lached ofe his wedes. c 1430 Hymns Virg. 76 For deeþ his swerd out haþ lauȝte. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (1858) I. 383 Helme and hewmont wer hewin in schunder, Lymnis war lachit hard of be the kne. |
† 2. a. To take with force; to capture, seize upon (a person or his goods). Obs.
| c 950 Lindisf. Gosp. Mark xiv. 48 Allsuæ to ðeafe ᵹie foerdon mið suordum et stengum..to læccane mec. c 1000 Ags. Laws, Instit. Polity §19 (Th.) II. 328 Hi..læccað of manna beᵹeatum hwæt hi ᵹefon maᵹan. a 1300 Cursor M. 6766 If I giue þe for to kepe Ox or ass..And it wit wiþerwin be laght. Ibid. 7928 For to spar his aun aght þis pouer mans scep he laght. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. iii. 215 And if ȝe lacche lyere let hym nat a-skapie. 1399 ― Rich. Redeles ii. 159 The knyttis..That rentis and robis with raveyn evere lauȝte. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (1858) I. 277 The Romanis fled..thai war lachit at the last. |
† b. To catch (with a snare, net, etc.). Obs.
| c 1200 Ormin 13474 To lacchenn him wiþþ spelless nett To brinngenn himm to Criste. a 1250 Owl & Night. 1057 Lim and grinei..Sette and lede the for to lacche. a 1300 Cursor M. 29532 Ar þou be laght in findes snarr. c 1350 Leg. Cathol., Pope Gregory 17 Out of an abbay thai weren ysent With nettes..To lache fische. |
3. To catch (something falling); to catch or receive in (a receptacle). Obs. exc. dial.
| 1530 Palsgr. 604/1, I latche, I catche a thyng that is throwen to me in my handes..je happe. If I had latched the potte betyme, it had nat fallen to the grounde. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. Mar. 94 Tho pumie stones I hastly hent And threwe; but nought availed: He..oft the pumies latched. 1600 Holland Livy 161 Some latch the firebrands as they flew. 1601 ― Pliny I. 301 Vnlesse there be good heed taken that the eggs be latched in some soft bed vnder⁓neath, they are soone broken. 1639 Horn & Rob. Gate Lang. Unl. xxxv. §415 A dairy-maid milketh out milk latching it in a milk-paile. Ibid. xli. §445 The droppings, or any thing else spilt by chance, is latcht in a latch-pan. 1787 W. Marshall Norfolk (1795) II. 383 To Latch, to catch as water, &c. a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Latch, to catch what falls. |
4. a. To be the recipient of, to get; to receive (a name, gift; a blow, injury); to catch, take (a disease). Obs. exc. dial.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 19038 Þai þat had hus or ani aght Þai sald þam and þe pris laght, Be-for þe apostels fete it broght. c 1300 Havelok 744 The stede of Grim the name laute. c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 94 Þe kyng stode ouer nehi, þe stroke he lauht so smerte. Ibid. 332 Þe erle of Arundelle his londes lauht he þan. ― Chron. Wace (Rolls) 8813 Þo þat were seke, or had laught skaþes. 1340–70 Alex. & Dind. 40 For we ben hid in oure holis or we harm laache. 1340–70 Alisaunder 4 Lordes, and ooþer..þat boldely thinken..For to lachen hem loose. 1393 Langl. P. Pl. C. ii. 101 Thei shoulde..neuere leue for loue in hope to lacche seluer. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 3230 For nowther of tham na woundes laght. 1513 Douglas æneis viii. Prol. 27 All leidis langis in land to lauch quhat thaim leif is. c 1600 Shakes. Sonn. cxiii, Mine eye..no forme deliuers to the heart Of bird, of flowre, or shape which it doth latch. a 1603 T. Cartwright Confut. Rhem. N.T. (1618) 306 They should haue warded and latched the enemies strokes. 1605 Shakes. Macb. iv. iii. 192, I haue words That would be howl'd out in the desert ayre Where hearing should not latch them. 1633 P. Fletcher Purple Isl. ix. i, The Bridegroom Sunne..Leaves his star-chamber..His shines the Earth soon latcht to gild her flowers. 1649 Bp. Hall Cases Consc. ii. x. (1650) 155 A man that latches the weapon in his own body to save his Prince. c 1655 Loveday Lett. (1659) 47 My first request then is, that if you latch any news that [etc.]..you will not grudge to send it me. 1875 Lanc. Gloss. s.v., To latch a distemper. |
† b. In ME. poetry often used (esp. for alliteration) in various senses of take; e.g. in phrases to latch delight, to latch one's ease, one's leave. Obs.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 2445 To pastur commun þai laght þe land Þe quilk þam neiest lay to hand. Ibid. 4999 Þair leue þai laght. Ibid. 10778 Þan was þe mai ioseph bi-taght, And he has hir in spusail laght. 13.. Gaw. & Gr. Knt. 1676 For-þy þow lye in þy loft, & lach þyn ese. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. A. 1128 To loue þe lombe his meyny in melle, I-wysse I laȝt a gret delyt. 1377 Langl. P. Pl. B. xvii. 148 The sone that sent was til erthe..and mankynde lauȝte. Ibid. C. iv. 26 Whenne thei had lauht here leue at þys lady mede. c 1400 Destr. Troy 13360 Euery lede to the lond laghtyn þere gayre. a 1400–50 Alexander 3861 He..Þoȝt þare a longe quile to lie & lachen his esee. |
† 5. To reach, get to (land, a destination); to take, ‘get on’ (the water, way). Obs.
| c 1330 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 120 With hors & herneis Bristow has scho latched. ? a 1400 Morte Arth. 750 Launchez lede apone lufe, lacchene þer depez. c 1400 Destr. Troy 5702 And who þat lacchit the lond with the lyf þen, Were..tyrnet to dethe. Ibid. 12483 Thus the lordes in hor longyng laghton þe watur. c 1400 Ywaine & Gaw. 2025 Fra his lord the way he laght. |
6. intr. To alight, settle. dial.
| a 1825 Forby Voc. E. Anglia, Latch,..to alight. Ex. ‘He will always latch on his legs.’ 1847 Halliwell, Latch, to light or fall. Suffolk. Kennet gives these meanings as current in Durham. 1871 East Anglian IV. 111 The Golden crested Wren, often caught by the hand while ‘latching’ in the rigging. |
▪ IV. latch, v.2
(lætʃ)
[f. latch n.1]
trans. To fasten or secure with a latch.
| 1530 Palsgr. 604/1, I latche a doore, I shytte it by the latche. 1556 J. Heywood Spider & F. lvii. 89 The very locke and key, That lacheth and lockth vs all, from quiet stey. 1579 Spenser Sheph. Cal. May 291 He popt him in, and his basket did latch. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. iv. xv, He latched the garden-gate. 1882 J. Hawthorne Fort. Fool i. xxxi, The street door was to be latched, but not bolted. |
b. slang. (See quot.)
| c 1700 in Street Robberies Consider'd. 1725 New Cant. Dict., Latch, let in. |
▪ V. † latch, v.3 Building. Obs. rare.
[? a. ONF. lachier = Central OF. lacier lace v.]
trans. To cover with interlaced work. (Cf. lace n. 4.)
| 1598 in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) II. 252 The particions betwixt euery fellowes chamber on both sides of the same to be double latched with good lath lyme and hare. 1625 Purchas Pilgrims ii. 1369 Rampiers made of that woodden walled fashion, double, and betwixt them Earth and Stones, but so latched with crosse Timber, they are very strong. |
▪ VI. latch, latche
variants of leach v., lache v.
▪ VII. latch
var. letch n.1