Latch
/lætʃ/noun
A fastening device or mechanism for holding a door, gate, or lid closed.
Did you know?Latch is linked to Old English *læccan*, “to seize or catch,” which gives the word a subtle sense of gripping and holding rather than merely closing.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*leǵ-
“to gather, collect, or seize”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lakjaną
“to seize, catch”
Old English
OE
læccan
“to seize, grasp, catch”
Middle English
ME
lacche
“a fastening or clasp; also to catch or seize”
Modern English
English
latch
“a fastening that holds a door, gate, or lid closed”