SAFETY

safety

(noun) a score in American football; a player is tackled behind his own goal line

condom, rubber, safety, safe, prophylactic

(noun) contraceptive device consisting of a sheath of thin rubber or latex that is worn over the penis during intercourse

guard, safety, safety device

(noun) a device designed to prevent injury or accidents

safety, refuge

(noun) a safe place; “He ran to safety”

safety

(noun) 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”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

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Etymology

Noun

safety (countable and uncountable, plural safeties)

The condition or feeling of being safe; security; certainty.

(mechanics) A mechanism on a weapon or dangerous equipment designed to prevent accidental firing.

(American football) An instance of a player being sacked or tackled in the end zone, or stepping out of the end zone and off the field, resulting in two points to the opposite team.

(American football) Any of the defensive players who are in position furthest from the line of scrimmage and whose responsibility is to defend against passes as well as to be the tacklers of last resort.

(baseball) A safety squeeze.

Preservation from escape; close custody.

(dated) A safety bicycle.

Antonyms

• danger

Verb

safety (third-person singular simple present safeties, present participle safetying, simple past and past participle safetied)

(transitive) To secure (a mechanical component, as in aviation) to keep it from becoming detached even under vibration.

to secure a firing pin, as in guns, to keep the gun from firing

Source: Wiktionary

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Safe"ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. sauveté.]

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 libility 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. Beau. & Fl.

3. Preservation from escape; close custody. Imprison him, . . . Deliver him to safety; and return. Shak.

4. (Football)

Definition: 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.

– Safety tube (Chem.), a tube to prevent explosion, or to control delivery of gases by an automatic valvular connection with the outer air; especially, a bent funnel tube with bulbs for adding those reagents which produce unpleasant fumes or violent effervescence.

– Safety valve, a valve which is held shut by a spring or weight and opens automatically to permit the escape of steam, or confined gas, water, etc., from a boiler, or other vessel, when the pressure becomes too great for safety; also, sometimes, a similar valve opening inward to admit air to a vessel in which the pressure is less than that of the atmosphere, to prevent collapse.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

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