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detent

American  
[dih-tent] / dɪˈtɛnt /

noun

Machinery.

  1. a mechanism that temporarily keeps one part in a certain position relative to that of another, and can be released by applying force to one of the parts.

detent British  
/ dɪˈtɛnt /

noun

  1. the locking piece of a mechanism, often spring-loaded to check the movement of a wheel in one direction only See also pawl

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of detent

1680–90; < French détente, Old French destente, derivative of destendre to relax, equivalent to des- dis- 1 + tendre to stretch; see tender 2

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.