Latch On Comes From Catching Hold
A latch is a simple fastening for a door. The verb once meant to catch, which survives in the phrase latch on.
A latch is a simple fastening that holds a door or gate closed. The Old English verb *læccan* meant to seize or catch, and that survives in *latch on*, meaning to grasp an idea or attach oneself to someone. A door latch catches; so does a person who latches on. A *latchkey* is the key to a door with a spring latch, and *latchkey child* described children who let themselves into an empty house.
- A door fastening. *Lift the latch.*
- To fasten. *Latch the gate.*
- Latch on — to grasp or attach. *He latched on quickly.*
- Latchkey — a door key. *A latchkey.*
- Old English — *læccan*, to catch. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | latch | A metal latch. |
| Plural | latches | Two latches. |
| Verb | latch | Latch it. |
| Phrasal verb | latch on | Latch on to. |
| Compound | latchkey | A latchkey. |
- The gate latch was rusted shut.Fastening.
- She latched on to the idea at once.Idiom.
- Læccan meant to seize.Etymology.
Latch, lock, bolt, catch
- Latch — holds a door shut but does not secure it
- Lock — needs a key or combination
- Bolt — a sliding bar, operated from one side only
- Catch — a light fastening, often on a window
- Deadlock — a lock that cannot be opened without a key from either side
Old English *læccan*, to seize or catch hold of, from a Germanic root of uncertain earlier origin.
What does latch on mean?
To grasp something quickly, or to attach oneself to a person or idea. It preserves the old sense of catching hold.
What was a latchkey child?
A child who came home to an empty house and let themselves in, a phrase common from the mid-twentieth century.