Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Notch

Notch (noch) , noun

[Akin to nock; compare OD. nock, OSw. nocka. Compare Nick a notch.]

1.
A hollow cut in anything; a nick; an indentation.
And on the stick ten equal notches makes. — Swift
2.
A narrow passage between two elevations; a deep, close pass; a defile; as, the notch of a mountain.

Notch (nocht) , transitive verb

1.
To cut or make notches in; to indent; also, to score by notches; as, to notch a stick.
2.
To fit the notch of (an arrow) to the string.
God is all sufferance; here he doth show No arrow notched, only a stringless bow. — Herrick