Definition of "hatch"

hatch¹

/hæt͡ʃ/

noun
plural hatches
1. A horizontal door in a floor or ceiling.
2. A trapdoor.
3. An opening in a wall at window height for the purpose of serving food or other items. A pass through.
  Quotations
  A service hatch with sliding shutter is situated at the end of the kitchen next to the dining compartment.
  1950 June, “New Restaurant and Buffet Cars, G.N.R.(I.)”, in Railway Magazine, page 415
4. A small door in large mechanical structures and vehicles such as aircraft and spacecraft often provided for access for maintenance.
  Quotations
  A surprising number of incidents is due to roof hatches being left loose or in the raised position when locomotives return to service after maintenance. On one occasion, a 25kV overhead line was damaged by an open hatch.
  1963 February, “Diesel locomotive faults and their remedies”, in Modern Railways, page 100
5. (nautical) An opening through the deck of a ship or submarine
6. (slang) A gullet.
7. A frame or weir in a river, for catching fish.
8. A floodgate; a sluice gate.
  Quotations
  The farmers lower down the brook pull up the hatches to let the flood pass.
  1879, Richard Jeffries, Wild Life in a Southern County
9. (Scotland) A bedstead.
  Quotations
  It consisted of a rude wooden stool , and still ruder hatch or bed-frame
  1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […]
10. (mining) An opening into, or in search of, a mine.
verb
third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched
1. (transitive) To close with a hatch or hatches.
  Quotations
  'Twere not amiss to keep our door hatched.
  c. 1607–1608, William Shakeſpeare, The Late, And much admired Play, Called Pericles, Prince of Tyre. […], London: Imprinted at London for Henry Goſſon, […], published 1609, [Act IV, scene ii]

hatch²

/hæt͡ʃ/

verb
third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched
1. (intransitive, of young animals) To emerge from an egg.
2. (intransitive, of eggs) To break open when a young animal emerges from it.
3. (transitive) To incubate eggs; to cause to hatch.
4. (transitive) To devise (a plot or scheme).
  Quotations
  As for Cersei, pretending to work with her enemies while secretly hatching some grander scheme was pretty much what I expected for the truce going into it.
  2017 August 27, Brandon Nowalk, “Game Of Thrones slows down for the longest, and best, episode of the season (newbies)”, in The Onion AV Club‎
noun
plural hatches
1. The act of hatching.
2. (figurative) Development; disclosure; discovery.
  Quotations
  There's ſomething in his ſoule? / O'er which his Melancholly ſits on brood, / And I do doubt the hatch, and the diſcloſe / Will be ſome danger, which to preuent / I haue in quicke determination
  c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene i], page 266
3. (poultry) A group of birds that emerged from eggs at a specified time.
4. (often as mayfly hatch) The phenomenon, lasting 1–2 days, of large clouds of mayflies appearing in one location to mate, having reached maturity.
  Quotations
  The Willowemoc above Livington Manor had the largest mayfly hatch I ever knew about fifty years ago.
  a. 1947, Edward R. Hewitt, quoted in 1947, Charles K. Fox, Redistribution of the Green Drake, 1997, Norm Shires, Jim Gilford (editors), Limestone Legends, page 104
  The major application of the parachute is for mayfly hatches, but it's also useful for midge hatches.
  2004, Ed Engle, Fishing Small Flies‎, page 118
  Many years the mayfly hatch begins by the time the lake opens in April. Otherwise, expect strong hatches by mid-May. The hatches continue through midsummer.
  2007, John Shewey, On the Fly Guide to the Northwest‎, page 70
5. (informal) A birth, the birth records (in the newspaper).

hatch³

/hæt͡ʃ/

verb
third-person singular simple present hatches, present participle hatching, simple past and past participle hatched
1. (transitive) To shade an area of (a drawing, diagram, etc.) with fine parallel lines, or with lines which cross each other (cross-hatch).
  Quotations
  Those hatching strokes of the pencil.
  1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […]
  Shall win this sword, silvered and hatched.The spelling has been modernized.
  , Homer, “(please specify |book=I to XXIV)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., The Iliads of Homer Prince of Poets. […], London: […] Nathaniell Butter; The Iliads of Homer, Prince of Poets, […], new edition, volumes (please specify the book number), London: Charles Knight and Co., […], 1843,
2. (transitive, obsolete) To cross; to spot; to stain; to steep.
  Quotations
  His weapon hatch'd in blood.
  1619, John Fletcher, “The Humorous Lieutenant”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, Act I, scene i

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