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Glite Dictionary
latchstring

latchstring

1 9.9
A string on a door used to lift the latch from outside
  • noun
  • /ˈlæʧˌstrɪŋ/
  • Archaic
: cordel
  • In pioneer days, people would leave the latchstring out as a sign of welcome.

Examples

  • The old farmhouse still had a latchstring hanging outside the kitchen door.

  • He pulled the latchstring and quietly let himself into the cottage.

  • The old door had a latchstring that was frayed.

  • Can you see the latchstring on that vintage door?

  • The old cabin had a latchstring that allowed visitors to open the door easily from the outside.

  • She pulled the latchstring to let her friends in without having to get up from the couch.

  • In the rustic village, it was common to find houses with a latchstring for securing doors.

Surface Forms

latchstring singular
latchstrings plural

Morphology

latchstring = latch + string (transparent) = latch + string

A straightforward compound whose meaning is directly the string used to operate a latch.

Etymology

Latchstring comes from latch meaning 'the part that keeps a door closed' and string meaning 'a cord'. It was a cord you could pull to lift the latch from the outside, and people often left the latchstring out to show a house was 'open and welcoming'. So today a latchstring is both the cord used to open a latch and a sign of a friendly welcome.