latch

/lætʃ/

/lætʃ/

Other forms: latched; latches; latching

When you unlock your front door, you open the latch. A latch is a fastener or lock that you open with a key.

A latch can usually be opened with a key or by turning a knob or lifting a hook or bar. You can also use the word latch as a verb, like when your mom reminds you to latch the front and back doors before you leave for school in the morning. In some places, the word "latch-key" is used to mean "key." The root of latch is the Germanic word læccan, "to grasp or seize."

Definitions of latch

1. noun

   catch for fastening a door or gate; a bar that can be lowered or slid into a groove
   type of:

   catch

   a fastener that fastens or locks a door or window
2. noun

   spring-loaded doorlock that can only be opened from the outside with a key
   synonyms: door latch

   type of:

   lock

   a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
3. verb

   fasten with a latch
   “latch the door”

   type of:

   fasten, fix, secure

   cause to be firmly attached