pawl
English
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
pawl¹
- /pɔːl/
- /pɑl/ Canada
Sounds like pall, Paul · Rhymes with -ɔːl
Where it comes from
17th c., perhaps from Low German or Dutch pal (“catch (mechanism)”), or from either French pal (“stake”) or épaule (“shoulder”).
noun pawls · pall
- A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction. A pawl is a sort of catch that fits into a ratchet wheel and pushes it around, or it may be used as a catch to prevent the backward motion of a windlass or the wheel on a derrick.
- A similar device to prevent motion in other mechanisms besides ratchets.
verb pawls · pawling · pawled · pall
- To stop with a pawl.
pawl²
noun pawls
- Alternative form of paul (“kind of tent”).
Translations
Talk about this word "pawl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/pawl. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. pawl. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/pawl "pawl." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/pawl.Cite this
@misc{pawl_2026,
title = {pawl},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/pawl},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
