night latch

noun

a door lock operated from the inside by a knob and from the outside by a key.

Origin of night latch

First recorded in 1850–55

Also called night bolt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for night latch

Historical Examples of night latch

But she couldn't manage the night-latch, and so Margaret had to follow her.
A Little Girl in Old New York
Amanda Millie Douglas
"Please don't think me ungrateful," she said, when she had thrown the night-latch for him.
The Grafters
Francis Lynde
When we were all inside Fleming Stone closed the door, the night-latch of which, of course, snapped itself.
A Chain of Evidence
Carolyn Wells
He took out his ring of keys, found the night-latch and thrust it into the keyhole.
The Carpet from Bagdad
Harold MacGrath
He reached his home out of breath; but then his key to the night-latch would not fit, just because he was excited and in a hurry.
Make or Break
Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for night latch

night latch

noun

a door lock that is operated by means of a knob on the inside and a key on the outside

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