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latch

 - 4 dictionary results

latch

[lach]
–noun
1. a device for holding a door, gate, or the like, closed, consisting basically of a bar falling or sliding into a catch, groove, hole, etc.
–verb (used with object)
2. to close or fasten with a latch.
–verb (used without object)
3. to close tightly so that the latch is secured: The door won't latch.
4. latch on,
a. to grab or hold on, as to an object or idea, esp. tightly or tenaciously.
b. to include or add in; attach: If we latch the tax on, the bill will come to over $100.
5. latch onto, Informal.
a. to take possession of; obtain; get.
b. to acquire understanding of; comprehend.
c. to attach oneself to; join in with: The stray dog latched onto the children and wouldn't go home.

Origin:
bef. 950; 1930–35 for def. 5; ME lacchen, OE lǣccan to take hold of, catch, seize; akin to Gk lázesthai to take
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To latch
latch   (lāch)   
n.  
  1. A fastening, as for a door or gate, typically consisting of a bar that fits into a notch or slot and is lifted from either side by a lever or string.

  2. A spring lock, as for a door, that is opened from the outside by a key.

v.   latched, latch·ing, latch·es

v.   tr.
To close or lock with or as if with a latch.
v.   intr.
  1. To have or be closed with a latch.

  2. To shut tightly so that the latch is engaged: a door too warped to latch.


[Middle English latche, from lacchen, to seize, from Old English læccan.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

latch  (v.)
O.E. læccan "to grasp or seize," from P.Gmc. *lakkijanan. Not found in other Gmc. languages; probably from PIE *(s)lagw- "to seize" (see analemma). The noun is first recorded 1331, from the verb. Latchkey (1825) is a key to draw back the latch of a door; latchkey child first recorded 1944, Amer.Eng., in ref. to children who come home from school while both parents are at work.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

latch
A digital logic circuit used to store one or more bits. A latch has a data input, a clock input and an output. When the clock input is active, data on the input is "latched" or stored and transfered to the output either immediately or when the clock input goes inactive. The output will then retain its value until the clock goes active again.
See also flip-flop.
(1995-02-03)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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