Etymology

detent

de·tent
D2E1T1E1N1T1

Today it means: That which locks or unlocks a movement; a catch (stopping mechanism), pawl, or dog; especially, in clockwork, the catch which locks and unlocks the wheelwork in striking. Full definition →

French détente ← Latin tendō
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The story

  1. Latin · derived fromtendō“to stretch”
  2. French · borrowed fromdétente
  3. English todaydetent

From French détente, from Latin tendō (“to stretch”).

Words from the same roots

Frenchdétente all →

détente

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.