Notched

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having one or more small cuts or indentations on an edge or surface, often V-shaped ; marked or recorded by making a series of cuts or lines as a score or tally
2. Characterized by notches or carvings cut into an object to form a pattern or measurement ; indicated or tracked by inscribed marks representing counts or records
3. Describes an edge or surface with distinct indentations used for fitting or decoration ; showing a set of marks made for counting or keeping track

Etymology: The adjective "notched" is simply the past participle of the verb "notch", so its history is really the history of that verb. The verb is recorded in English from 1577, but the noun it came from has a curious origin. English seems to have misread "an otch" as "a notch", the way "an apron" was once "a napron". The phrase "an otch" was borrowed from Middle French "oche", meaning a notch, which in turn came from the Old French verb "ochier", "to notch". Where that Old French verb came from is uncertain, though it may be related to French "hocher" and to the English "nick", meaning a small cut. Notches were, for centuries, a practical form of record-keeping. Tally sticks were split lengthwise after notches were cut across them, so each party kept half as a receipt. Such marks gave "notched" its sense of an object carrying a count or measurement, and the adjective still describes both the pattern and the record it holds.

Synonyms: indentation, grooved, scored, cut, marked