Pawl

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pawl \Pawl\, v. t.
     To stop with a pawl; to drop the pawls off.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {To pawl the capstan}. See under {Capstan}.
        [1913 Webster]



From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Pawl \Pawl\, n. [W. pawl a pole, a stake. Cf. {Pole} a stake.]
     (Mach.)
     A pivoted tongue, or sliding bolt, on one part of a machine,
     adapted to fall into notches, or interdental spaces, on
     another part, as a ratchet wheel, in such a manner as to
     permit motion in one direction and prevent it in the reverse,
     as in a windlass; a catch, click, or detent. See Illust. of
     {Ratchet Wheel}. [Written also {paul}, or {pall}.]
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Pawl bitt} (Naut.), a heavy timber, set abaft the windlass,
        to receive the strain of the pawls.
  
     {Pawl rim} or {Pawl ring} (Naut.), a stationary metallic ring
        surrounding the base of a capstan, having notches for the
        pawls to catch in.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  pawl
       n : a hinged catch that fits into a notch of a ratchet to move a
           wheel forward or prevent it from moving backward [syn: {detent},
            {click}, {dog}]