pawl

17th c., perhaps from Low German or Dutch pal (“catch (mechanism)”),^[1] or from either French pal (“stake”) or épaule (“shoulder”).^[2]

• pall

• IPA^(key): /pɔːl/

  Rhymes: -ɔːl

• (Canada) IPA^(key): /pɑl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Homophones: pall, Paul

pawl (plural pawls)

1. A pivoted catch designed to fall into a notch on a ratchet wheel so as to allow movement in only one direction (e.g. on a windlass or in a clock mechanism), or alternatively to move the wheel in one direction.
   • 1910, Victor Appleton, Tom Swift and his Motorcycle:

     A pawl is a sort of catch that fits into a ratchet wheel and pushes it around, or it may be used as a catch to prevent the backward motion of a windlass or the wheel on a derrick.

   • 1994, Cormac McCarthy, The Crossing:

     The nails in the rim of the wheel went ratcheting over the leather pawl and the wheel slowed and came to a stop and the woman turned to the crowd and smiled.

2. A similar device to prevent motion in other mechanisms besides ratchets.

• detent

• pawl bitt
• pawl rim

pawl (third-person singular simple present pawls, present participle pawling, simple past and past participle pawled)

1. (transitive) To stop with a pawl.

• pawl the capstan

• pawl on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

pawl (plural pawls)

1. Alternative form of paul (“kind of tent”).

• Walp, plaw

• paul — dated

Borrowed from English foul, from Middle English foulen, fulen, from Old English fūlian.

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈpawl/ [ˈpaʊ̯l]
• Rhymes: -awl
• Syllabification: pawl

pawl (Baybayin spelling ᜉᜏ᜔ᜎ᜔) (sports)

1. foul (offense in sports)

• English, Leo James (1987) Tagalog-English dictionary, Manila, Philippines: National Book Store, →ISBN, page 1024
• Panganiban, José Villa (1973) Diksyunaryo-Tesauro Pilipino-Ingles (overall work in Tagalog and English), Quezon City: Manlapaz Publishing Co., page 796