Ratchets

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. A device that permits movement in one direction while preventing it in the opposite, often used in mechanical applications
2. Any tool or system that facilitates precise incremental adjustments by locking into specific positions
3. A mechanism that allows advancement in a single direction while resisting backward movement is commonly found in tools and machinery

Etymology: "Ratchets" is the plural of "ratchet", and the noun's core sense comes from a spool. The word passed into English from French "rochet", meaning a bobbin or spindle, which in turn came from Italian "rocchetto", a spool. The mechanical device that locks against a toothed wheel grew out of that spindle sense, so the tool that clicks forward one notch at a time carries the memory of thread being wound around a small cylinder. The word also has a surprising Southern American twist. It is possibly a variant, shaped by Louisiana pronunciation, of "wretched", in the way "rasslin'" stands for "wrestling". Whether that link is real is uncertain, so it is best treated as a suggestion rather than settled history.