Unlatched

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Not secured in a manner that prevents opening or closing Released from any mechanism that maintains closure or confinement Opened or disengaged from a system intended to keep something shut
2. Not held closed by any locking mechanism ; moved so that it is no longer in a closed and locked state
3. Free from any fastening that prevents movement ; shifted to a position where it is no longer locked

Etymology: The word "unlatched" is simply the past tense and past participle of "unlatch", so its story is that of the verb. "Unlatch" is formed from "un-", a prefix meaning "reverse" or "undo", attached to "latch". The "latch" half descends from Old English "on" and "and" in an older sense, where the Old English forms combined into a word for a fastening, so a latch was the thing that held a door shut and unlatching it released that hold. Used of a door or gate, "unlatched" describes one that is no longer held by its catch but may still be closed in its frame, which is why the word often suggests a door that could swing open at a touch.

Synonyms: opened, unlocked, released

Antonyms: latched, secured, fastened, closed