notch

Noun · Verb
US[noch]/nɑtʃ/1 syllable
Synonyms: passmountain passnicksnick

Open English WordNet

Verb (2)notches, notched, notching

  1. cut or make a notch into“notch the rope”More general inciseMore specific score, indent
  2. notch a surface to record somethingMore general record, enter

Noun (4)notches

  1. a V-shaped indentation“mandibular notch”Type of indentation, indentureKinds incisure, incisura
  2. the location in a range of mountains of a geological formation that is lower than the surrounding peaks“we got through the pass before it started to snow”Synonyms: passmountain passType of locationKinds defile, saddleback, colExamples Khyber Pass, Brenner Pass, Cumberland Gap, Donner PassPart of range, mountain range
  3. a V-shaped or U-shaped indentation carved or scratched into a surface“there were four notches in the handle of his revolver”Type of indentation, indentureKinds serration, undercut, thumb index
  4. a small cutSynonyms: nicksnickType of cut, cutting

Related words nick noun, chip verb, nick verb

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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Notch (nŏch), noun

Origin: Akin to nock; cf. OD. nock, OSw. nocka. Cf. Nick a notch.

1. A hollow cut in anything; a nick; an indentation.

And on the stick ten equal notches makes.— Jonathan Swift

2. A narrow passage between two elevations; a deep, close pass; a defile; as, the notch of a mountain.

Notch transitive verb [past tense & past participle Notched (nŏcht); present participle & verbal noun Notching.]

1. To cut or make notches in; to indent; also, to score by notches; as, to notch a stick.

2. To fit the notch of (an arrow) to the string.

God is all sufferance; here he doth show No arrow notched, only a stringless bow.— Robert Herrick

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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