detent
noun
de·tent ˈdē-ˌtent 
di-ˈtent
: a device (such as a catch, dog, or spring-operated ball) for positioning and holding one mechanical part in relation to another in a manner such that the device can be released by force applied to one of the parts
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The watch is a regulator (the hour and minute hands are shown on two separate dials) fitted with a pivoted detent escapement. 
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 6 June 2022 Reverse is up and to the left of first gear, and its detent—pushing down on the shifter—does not exactly require the hand of a seven-foot-tall bouncer with brass knuckles. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 14 Apr. 2022 Going beyond the detent brings in the internal combustion engine. Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2019 As the name suggests, in E-Power, the vehicle uses the electric motor exclusively — at least until the driver reaches a detent in the accelerator pedal. Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2019 The frameless door windows are coupelike and the smart door-hinge design opens without stops (detents), eliminating the chance of a door springing into a wall or other parked vehicle. Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2019 With a regular gearstick, drivers choose a transmission option (park, reverse, neutral, drive, etc.) by moving the stick into the corresponding notch or detent. Marwa Eltagouri, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2018 See More
Victoria Gomelsky, Robb Report, 6 June 2022 Reverse is up and to the left of first gear, and its detent—pushing down on the shifter—does not exactly require the hand of a seven-foot-tall bouncer with brass knuckles. Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 14 Apr. 2022 Going beyond the detent brings in the internal combustion engine. Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2019 As the name suggests, in E-Power, the vehicle uses the electric motor exclusively — at least until the driver reaches a detent in the accelerator pedal. Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, 13 Sep. 2019 The frameless door windows are coupelike and the smart door-hinge design opens without stops (detents), eliminating the chance of a door springing into a wall or other parked vehicle. Mark Maynard, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2019 With a regular gearstick, drivers choose a transmission option (park, reverse, neutral, drive, etc.) by moving the stick into the corresponding notch or detent. Marwa Eltagouri, chicagotribune.com, 23 Mar. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
French détente, from Middle French destente, from destendre to slacken, from Old French, from des- de- + tendre to stretch, from Latin tendere — more at thin
First Known Use
1688, in the meaning defined above