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Definition of ratchet noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ratchet

noun
 
/ˈrætʃɪt/
 
/ˈrætʃɪt/
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  1. a wheel or bar with teeth along the edge and a metal piece that fits between the teeth, allowing movement in one direction only
    Word Originmid 17th cent.: from French rochet, originally denoting a blunt lance head, later in the sense ‘bobbin, ratchet’; related to the base of archaic rock ‘quantity of wool on a distaff for spinning’.
See ratchet in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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