detent

From French détente, from Latin tendō (“to stretch”).

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈtɛnt/
• Rhymes: -ɛnt
• Hyphenation: de‧tent

detent (plural detents)

1. That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch, pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking.
   • 1972, Mayer et al., United States Patent 3760640, abstract:

     A UHF tuner having 70 detent positions with fine tuning capability at all locations. Coarse tuning is accomplished via a toothed, detented disk and a spirally-extending rim having a follower lever operable therewith.

detent (third-person singular simple present detents, present participle detenting, simple past and past participle detented)

1. The action of creating a detent mechanism to lock or unlock movement.

• detent in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• detent in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• detent at OneLook Dictionary Search

• netted, tented