pawl
English
Etymology
17th c., perhaps from Low German or Dutch pal (“catch (mechanism)”)[1], or from either French pal (“stake”) or épaule (“shoulder”).[2]
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /pɔːl/
- Rhymes: -ɔːl
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "Canada" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /pɑl/
- Homophones: pall, Paul
Noun
pawl (plural pawls)
- A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.
- 1910, Victor Appleton, Tom Swift and his Motorcycle:
- A pawl is a sort of catch that fits into a ratchet wheel and pushes it around, or it may be used as a catch to prevent the backward motion of a windlass or the wheel on a derrick.
- 1994, Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing:
- The nails in the rim of the wheel went ratcheting over the leather pawl and the wheel slowed and came to a stop and the woman turned to the crowd and smiled.
- A similar device to prevent motion in other mechanisms besides ratchets.
Derived terms
Translations
pawl
Verb
pawl (third-person singular simple present pawls, present participle pawling, simple past and past participle pawled)
- (transitive) To stop with a pawl.
Derived terms
Further reading
References
- ^ “pawl”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
- ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “pawl”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
Anagrams
Categories:
- English terms derived from Low German
- English terms derived from Dutch
- English terms derived from French
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ɔːl
- English terms with homophones
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English terms with quotations
- English verbs
- English transitive verbs