pawl Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward
    detent; click; dog.

WordNet

Pawl noun
Etymology
W. pawl a pole, a stake. Cf. Pole a stake.
Definitions
  1. (Mach.) A pivoted tongue, or sliding bolt, on one part of a machine, adapted to fall into notches, or interdental spaces, on another part, as a ratchet wheel, in such a manner as to permit motion in one direction and prevent it in the reverse, as in a windlass; a catch, click, or detent. See Illust. of Ratchet Wheel. Written also paul, or pall.
Pawl transitive verb
Definitions
  1. To stop with a pawl; to drop the pawls off.

Webster 1913