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latch

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A simple fastening for a door or gate. It is a small hardware term that may feel old-fashioned in this setting.

Detailed Definition
A latch is a device used to fasten a door, gate, or similar opening. In older rural poetry it helps evoke a humble house and a welcoming, domestic scene.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Oft shall the pilgrim lift the latch” makes the latch a humble threshold object; “The latch clicked, and winter entered” uses its sound to signal arrival; “No latch was set against the poor” turns an unfastened door into an emblem of welcome; “She raised the iron latch of memory” employs the object metaphorically as a means of access
Additional Notes
The word in "Oft shall the pilgrim lift the latch," is a specific hardware term, and its older rural use may not be immediately familiar to all readers.; Found in the poem, A Wish by Samuel Rogers
Also Known As
bolt fastener latchkey
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