The Collaborative International Dictionary
Safety \Safe"ty\, n. [Cf. F. sauvet['e].]
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The condition or state of being safe; freedom from danger or hazard; exemption from hurt, injury, or loss.
Up led by thee, Into the heaven I have presumed, An earthly guest . . . With like safety guided down, Return me to my native element.
--Milton. -
Freedom from whatever exposes one to danger or from liability to cause danger or harm; safeness; hence, the quality of making safe or secure, or of giving confidence, justifying trust, insuring against harm or loss, etc.
Would there were any safety in thy sex, That I might put a thousand sorrows off, And credit thy repentance!
--Beau. & Fl. -
Preservation from escape; close custody.
Imprison him, . . . Deliver him to safety; and return.
--Shak. (Amer. Football) the act or result of a ball-carrier on the offensive team being tackled behind his own goal line, or the downing of a ball behind the offensive team's own goal line when it had been carried or propelled behind that goal line by a player on the offensive tream; such a play causes a score of two points to be awarded to the defensive team; -- it is distinguished from touchback, when the ball is downed behind the goal after being propelled there or last touched by a player of the defending team. See Touchdown. Same as Safety touchdown, below.
Short for Safety bicycle. [archaic]
a switch on a firearm that locks the trigger and prevents the firearm from being discharged unintentionally; -- also called safety catch, safety lock, or lock. [archaic]
WordNet
n. guard consisting of a locking device that prevents a weapon from being fired [syn: safety catch]
a bolt that cannot be moved from outside the door or gate [syn: safety bolt]
Usage examples of "safety lock".
Jaina thumbed off her blaster safety lock, but her target turned and hopped up the passage before she could fire.
But its automatic safety lock was jammed open, so that the entire bubble would be blown out in moments, and all unsuited occupants would die.
He rushed toward the front door, turned the heavy steel safety lock.
The vault door would take a ton of explosives to blow, yet it could be opened by a safety lock on the inside in seconds.
Vorreedi picked up the weapon and examined it closely, among other things checking to see that the safety lock was indeed engaged, before handing it equally politely to Benin.