Adjacent Words

Safety definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SA'FETY, n.
1. Freedom from danger or hazard; as the safety of an electrical experiment; the safety of a voyage.
I was not in safety, nor had I rest. Job 3.
2. Exemption from hurt, injury or loss. We crossed the Atlantic in safety.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions; "insure the safety of the children"; "the reciprocal of safety is risk" [ant: danger]
2: a safe place; "He ran to safety" [syn: safety, refuge]
3: a device designed to prevent injury or accidents [syn: guard, safety, safety device]
4: (baseball) the successful act of striking a baseball in such a way that the batter reaches base safely [syn: base hit, safety]
5: contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse [syn: condom, rubber, safety, safe, prophylactic]
6: a score in American football; a player is tackled behind his own goal line

Merriam Webster's

I. noun (plural safeties) Etymology: Middle English saufte, from Anglo-French salveté, saufté, from salf safe Date: 14th century 1. the condition of being safe from undergoing or causing hurt, injury, or loss 2. a device (as on a weapon or a machine) designed to prevent inadvertent or hazardous operation 3. a. (1) a situation in football in which a member of the offensive team is tackled behind its own goal line that counts two points for the defensive team — compare touchback (2) a member of a defensive backfield in football who occupies the deepest position in order to receive a kick, defend against a forward pass, or stop a ballcarrier b. a billiard shot made with no attempt to score or so as to leave the balls in an unfavorable position for the opponent c. base hit II. transitive verb (safetied; safetying) Date: 1927 to protect against failure, breakage, or accident <safety a rifle>

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -ies) 1 the condition of being safe; freedom from danger or risks. 2 (attrib.) a designating any of various devices for preventing injury from machinery (safety bar; safety lock). b designating items of protective clothing (safety helmet). Phrases and idioms: safety-belt 1 = seat-belt. 2 a belt or strap securing a person to prevent injury. safety-catch a contrivance for locking a gun-trigger or preventing the accidental operation of machinery. safety curtain a fireproof curtain that can be lowered to cut off the auditorium in a theatre from the stage. safety factor (or factor of safety) 1 the ratio of a material's strength to an expected strain. 2 a margin of security against risks. safety film a cinematographic film on a slow-burning or non-flammable base. safety first a motto advising caution. safety fuse 1 a fuse (see FUSE(2)) containing a slow-burning composition for firing detonators from a distance. 2 Electr. a protective fuse (see FUSE(1)). safety glass glass that will not splinter when broken. safety harness a system of belts or restraints to hold a person to prevent falling or injury. safety lamp a miner's lamp so protected as not to ignite firedamp. safety match a match igniting only on a specially prepared surface. safety net a net placed to catch an acrobat etc. in case of a fall. safety pin a pin with a point that is bent back to the head and is held in a guard when closed. safety razor a razor with a guard to reduce the risk of cutting the skin. safety-valve 1 (in a steam boiler) a valve opening automatically to relieve excessive pressure. 2 a means of giving harmless vent to excitement etc. safety zone US an area of a road marked off for pedestrians etc. to wait safely. Etymology: ME sauvete f. OF sauveté f. med.L salvitas -tatis f. L salvus (as SAFE)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Safety Safe"ty, n. [Cf. F. sauvet['e].] 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. Preservation from escape; close custody. Imprison him, . . . Deliver him to safety; and return. --Shak. 4. (Football) Same as Safety touchdown, below. Safety arch (Arch.), a discharging arch. See under Discharge, v. t. Safety belt, a belt made of some buoyant material, or which is capable of being inflated, so as to enable a person to float in water; a life preserver. Safety buoy, a buoy to enable a person to float in water; a safety belt. Safety cage (Mach.), a cage for an elevator or mine lift, having appliances to prevent it from dropping if the lifting rope should break. Safety lamp. (Mining) See under Lamp. Safety match, a match which can be ignited only on a surface specially prepared for the purpose. Safety pin, a pin made in the form of a clasp, with a guard covering its point so that it will not prick the wearer. Safety plug. See Fusible plug, under Fusible. Safety switch. See Switch. Safety touchdown (Football), the act or result of a player's touching to the ground behind his own goal line a ball which received its last impulse from a man on his own side; -- distinguished from touchback. See Touchdown.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Safety Safe"ty, n. (a) (Amer. Football) A safety touchdown. (b) Short for Safety bicycle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. Safety is the state of being safe from harm or danger. The report goes on to make a number of recommendations to improve safety on aircraft. 2. If you reach safety, you reach a place where you are safe from danger. He stumbled through smoke and fumes given off from her burning sofa to pull her to safety... Guests ran for safety as the device went off in a ground-floor men's toilet... The refugees were groping their way through the dark, trying to reach safety. ...the safety of one's own home. N-UNCOUNT: oft prep N 3. If you are concerned about the safety of something, you are concerned that it might be harmful or dangerous. ...consumers are showing growing concern about the safety of the food they buy... N-SING: with poss 4. If you are concerned for someone's safety, you are concerned that they might be in danger. The two youths today declined to testify because they said they feared for their safety. N-SING: with poss 5. Safety features or measures are intended to make something less dangerous. The built-in safety device compensates for a fall in water pressure. ADJ: ADJ n 6. If you say that there is safety in numbers, you mean that you are safer doing something if there are a lot of people doing it rather than doing it alone. Many people still feel there is safety in numbers when belonging to a union. PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Security. 2. Preservation. 3. Safeness. 4. Preservation, close custody.

Moby Thesaurus

aegis, arm guard, assurance, backstop, buffer, bulwark, bumper, contraceptive, copyright, cover, crash helmet, cushion, dashboard, defense, dodger, eye, face mask, fender, finger guard, foot guard, fuse, goggles, governor, guard, guardrail, hand guard, handrail, hard hat, helmet, impregnability, insulation, interlock, inviolability, invulnerability, knee guard, knuckle guard, laminated glass, lee, life preserver, lifeline, lightning conductor, lightning rod, mask, mudguard, nose guard, pad, padding, palladium, patent, pilot, preservation, preventive, prophylactic, protection, protective clothing, protective custody, protective umbrella, refuge, safeguard, safekeeping, safeness, safety glass, safety plug, safety rail, safety shoes, safety switch, safety valve, sanctuary, screen, seat belt, security, shade, shadow, shelter, shield, shin guard, sun helmet, umbrella, watchful eye, windscreen, windshield