The act of locking something in opposition to or against another lock, often used in mechanical systems to prevent unwanted movement or rotation.
Combines 'counter-' (from Latin 'contra', meaning against) with 'locking' (from Old English 'loc', a mechanism that secures). The prefix became common in Middle English to describe opposing or reciprocal actions.
Counterlocking appears in engineering and architecture—imagine two gears locking against each other to stay perfectly still. This principle is what keeps your car's differential working smoothly and prevents bridge cables from slipping during earthquakes!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.