Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1500-1600
Origin: Probably from an otch, mistaken for a notch; from early French oche 'V-shaped cut'

notch

1 noun
     
Related topics: Nature, Geography
notch1 [countable]
1 a level on a scale that measures something, for example quality or achievement:
Her new book is several notches above anything else she has written.
Jackson raised his voice by a notch.
The Spartans turned it up a notch in the second half.
2 a V-shaped cut or hole in a surface or edge:
Cut a notch near one end of the stick.
3 American EnglishDNSG a passage between two mountains or hills
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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