| 释义 |
▪ I. secure, n.|sɪˈkjʊə(r)|
[f. secure v.]
The position in which a rifle or musket is held when it is ‘secured’: see secure v. 2 h.
1802C. James Milit. Dict. s.v. Secure arms!, To bring your firelock to the secure, 1st, throw your right hand briskly up [etc.]. Ibid., In order to shoulder from the secure, you must [etc.]. 1847Infantry Man. (1854) 20 Bringing the firelock down to the Secure.
Add:2. Naut. A signal sounded on board a ship, instructing seamen to cease activities.
[1881Naval Encycl. 730/1 Secure!, a command in exercising or working heavy guns, meaning to so arrange the breeching and tackles that the gun shall be in no danger of breaking loose in a sea-way.] 1909[see *secure v. 5 c]. 1921Jrnl. R. Naval Med. Service VII. 142 When the captain deems the ship outside the range of further action and the ‘secure’ has been sounded. 1923Man. Seamanship (Admiralty) II. 45 After dinner similar instructional work is carried out until the ‘secure’ is sounded at 15.40.
▪ II. secure, a. and adv.|sɪˈkjʊə(r)|
[ad. L. sēcūrus, f. sē- without (see se-) + cūra care (whence cure n.).
In the late L. sense ‘safe, free from danger’, the word passed into the Rom. langs.: F. sûr (OF. sëur, whence sure a.), Pr. segur-s, Sp., Pg. seguro, It. sicuro; it was also early adopted in WGer., and hence appears in Eng. as sicker a.]
A. adj.
I. Feeling no care or apprehension.
1. Without care, careless; free from care, apprehension or anxiety, or alarm; over-confident. Now arch.
a. In predicative use.
In early instances often contrasted with safe.
1533Latimer Let. to Morice in Foxe A. & M. (1583) 1742/2 But we be secure and vncarefull, as though false Prophets could not meddle with vs. 1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 143 And if after these pastimes hee shall seeme secure, nothing regardinge his bookes, I woulde not haue him scourged with stripes, but threatened with wordes. 1587T. Hughes Misf. Arthur i. iv, Mischiefe is sometimes safe: but n'er secure. 1641Quarles Enchir. iv. lxiii. (1654) T 1, When the Devil brings thee Oyle, bring thou Vinegar. The way to be safe, is never to bee secure. 1667D. Foulis Let. in Slingsby's Diary (1836) 374 God deliuer us out of these troubles & make us more vigilent & lesse secure for y⊇ future. a1700Evelyn Diary 20 Oct. 1674, He told me 10,000 men would easily conquer all the Spanish Indies, they were so secure. 1758S. Hayward Serm. xvii. 543, I had been now amongst the thoughtless crowd,..absolutely ignorant and secure. 1771Wesley Wks. (1872) V. 99 Because he is blind, he is also secure. 1806A. Murray Let. in Constable & Correspondents (1873) I. 253 We may expect that he [Bonaparte] will attack us as much as lies in his power. With respect to the issue of that we have not much to fear, and yet we have no cause to be too secure. 1827Keble Chr. Year, St. Philip & St. James 25 Youth's lightning flash of joy secure Pass'd seldom o'er His spright. 1841J. H. Newman Serm. vi. 87 Those who have long had God's favour without cloud or storm, grow secure. a1859Macaulay Hist. Eng. xxiii. (1861) V. 10 They were secure where they ought to have been wary, timorous where they might well have been secure.
b. With various constructions: Free from apprehension of (now only poet.), † concerning; † careless, without anxiety for. † Also with indirect question.
1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 144 But seeing the father carelesse what they learne, he is also secure what he teacheth. 1608Willet Hexapla Exod. 838 The Lord therefore biddeth them to be secure for that matter. 1614Raleigh Hist. World v. ii. §7. 414 The Illyrian Queene was secure of the Romans, as if they would not dare to stirre against her. 1619Hieron Wks. I. 5 There is no man so secure for his way to mill or to market, as hee is for his way to life eternall. 1625Bacon Ess., Seditions (Arb.) 401 Neither let any Prince, or State, be secure concerning Discontentments. 1658Rowland Moufet's Theat. Ins. 937 The reason why they are so bold and fearlesse, as being secure of any danger. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. i. 427 Ev'n when the Farmer, now Secure of Fear, Sends in the Swains to spoil the finish'd Year:..Oft have I seen a sudden Storm arise. 1700― Cinyras & Myrrha 277 Secure of Shame because secure of Sight: Ev'n bashful Sins are impudent by Night. 1833Tennyson To J. S. 76 Lie still, dry dust, secure of change.
c. In attributive use. Now rare or Obs.
1584Lodge Alarum agst. Usurers 38 b, Alonely lead with carelesse shew of peace, Whereas secure regard doth sinne increase. 1593Shakes. Rich. II, v. iii. 43 Open the doore, secure foole-hardy King. 1598― Merry W. ii. i. 241. Ibid. ii. ii. 315. 1612 T. Taylor Comm. Titus ii. 12 Our common people, whose extream and secure ignorance, loads them with such a burthen of impietie. 1690C. Nesse Hist. & Myst. O. & N.T. I. 116 In the church militant there must neither be an idle soldier nor a secure labourer. a1729J. Rogers Nineteen Serm. xii. (1735) 249 This is a Reflection which..should strike Terror and Amazement into the securest Sinner. 1773Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. v, Do you think I could ever catch at the confident addresses of a secure admirer? Mar. (kneeling) Does this look like security?
absol.1659W. Brough Sacr. Princ. 79 When the secure and foolish shall be barr'd and excluded the doors of bliss.
d. Said of times, places, actions: In which one is free from fear or anxiety.
1602Shakes. Ham. i. v. 61 Vpon my secure hower thy Vncle stole With iuyce of cursed Hebenon in a Violl. 1604― Oth. iv. i. 72 Oh, 'tis the spight of hell, the Fiends Archmock, To lip a wanton in a secure Cowch; And to suppose her chast. 1859Geo. Eliot A. Bede xxxvii, The bright hearth and the warmth and the voice of home,—the secure uprising and lying down.
2. a. Free from doubt or distrust; feeling sure or certain. Const. of; also with clause. ? Obs.
1579Lyly Euphues (Arb.) 77 Though he be suspitious of my faire hiew, yet is he secure of my firme honestie. 1595Shakes. John iv. i. 130 And, pretty childe, sleepe doubtlesse, and secure, That Hubert for the wealth of all the world, Will not offend thee. 1670Dryden 1st Pt. Conq. Granada v. ii, Give wing to your desires, and let 'em fly, Secure they cannot mount a pitch too high. 1670–1Marvell Corr. Wks. (Grosart) II. 372 He is secure that nothing will be done by his Majesty. 1688Shadwell Sq. Alsatia v. 70 How can I be secure you will not fall to your old courses agen? 1713Johnson Guardian No. 4 ⁋6, I am secure that no man will so readily take them into Protection. 1794Godwin Cal. Williams 49 He was secure that his animosity would neither be forgotten nor diminished by the interposition of any time or events.
†b. Confident in expectation; feeling certain of something in the future. Also with inf.
1653H. More Antid. Ath. iii. vi. §3 Caesar taking the Omen..enters Italy, secure of success from so manifest tokens of the favour of the Gods. 1667Milton P.L. ix. 1175 But confidence then bore thee on, secure Either to meet no danger, or to finde Matter of glorious trial. 1686tr. Chardin's Trav. Persia 27 The Grand Vizier, secure of taking Candy..alter'd all Soliman's Titles. 1725Pope Odyss. ix. 498 He..search'd each passing sheep, and felt it o'er, Secure to seize us ere we reach'd the door. 1732― Ess. Man i. 286 Secure to be as blest, as thou canst bear.
II. Having or affording ground for confidence; safe; (objectively) certain.
3. a. Rightly free from apprehension; protected from or not exposed to danger; safe.
The first quot. is a doubtful example of this sense; the original Gr. ἀµερίµνους is literally ‘without care or anxiety’ (= sense 1 a above); but the virtual meaning is ‘without cause for anxiety, safe’.
1582N.T. (Rhem.) Matt. xxviii. 14 And if the President shal heare of this, we wil persuade him, and make you secure [Vulg. et securos vos faciemus]. 1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, ii. i. 66 Had all your Quarters been as safely kept,..We had not beene thus shamefully surpriz'd. Bast. Mine was secure. 1606Warner Alb. Eng. xiv. lxxxv. (1612) 352 Yeat oft it haps, by how much more high Dignities preferre, So much the more, though lesse secure, men liue irreguler. 1608Shakes. Per. i. i. 95 Who has a booke of all that Monarches doe, Hee's more secure to keepe it shut, then showne. 1646Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. i. iv. 15 The divell..would perswade him he might be secure if hee cast himselfe from the pinacle. 1647Cowley Mistr., Writ. Juice of Lemon ii, Alas, thou think'st thy self secure, Because thy form is Innocent and Pure. 1731Swift Let. 10 Sept. in Pope's Wks. 1757 IX. 141 Thus I knew myself on the secure side, and it was a mere piece of good manners to insert that clause, of which you have taken the advantage. a1854Landor Last Fruit of Old Tree 474 Safe art thou, Louis!..for a time; But tremble..never yet was crime, Beyond one little space, secure. 1889Spectator 21 Dec., England is rich because she has for so many years been secure.
b. Const. against, from, † of.
1588Shakes. Tit. A. i. i. 152 Repose you heere in rest, Secure from worldly chaunces and mishaps. Ibid. ii. i. 3 Now climbeth Tamora Olympus toppe, Safe out of Fortunes shot, and sits aloft, Secure of Thunders cracke or lightning flash. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iii. 579 The Men to subterranean Caves retire; Secure from Cold, and crowd the chearful Fire. Ibid., æneid vii. 956 Messapus next,..Secure of Steel, and fated from the Fire, In Pomp appears. 1746Francis tr. Horace, Art of Poetry 360, I stand secure from Censure and from Shame. 1781Cowper Charity 510 No skill in swordmanship, however just, Can be secure against a madman's thrust. 1796Morse Amer. Geog. I. 168 Secure from those tempestuous winds, by which the adjoining lake is frequently troubled. 1821Shelley Adonais xl, From the contagion of the world's slow stain, He is secure. 1825Scott Betrothed xxv, The outlaws, secure in their knowledge of the paths,..made an orderly retreat. 1839Lane Arab. Nts. I. 128 Thou art secure from every thing that is not predestined.
c. Of actions or conditions; Involving no danger; safe.
1617Moryson Itin. iii. 9 The most ancient Lawgivers, got the experience, by which they had rule in their Cities, not by secure study at home, but by adventurous travels abroad. 1643Milton Soveraigne Salve 9 Such a seeming-secure and supine sleep might have proved a mortall lethargy. 1748Anson's Voy. i. ix. 92 This..would render all that southern navigation infinitely securer than at present. 1819Shelley Cenci ii. i. 26 He demands at what hour 'twere secure To visit you again? 1881Jowett Thucyd. I. 134 Inaction is secure only when arrayed by the side of activity.
d. Of an argument, means, agent, etc.: Not liable to fail, trustworthy, safe.
a1729J. Rogers Seventeen Serm. v. (1736) 100 But tho' God will accept of a sincere tho' imperfect Obedience, yet this can be no secure Argument to us to remit our Applications. 1823Scott Peveril xix, Which made him suspect that the countess had again employed her mute attendant as the most secure minister of her pleasure on this occasion.
e. Of a material thing, a support or fastening: Not liable to be displaced or to yield under strain; firmly fixed, safe.
1841T. R. Jones Anim. Kingd. 95 Armed externally with four circlets of sharp recurved hooks, which, when plunged into the coats of the intestine, serve as secure anchors by which the creature retains itself in a position favourable to the absorption of food. Mod. The bridge does not look secure. Do you think the bolt is secure?
f. Of a telephone (line): free from the risk of being tapped (tap v.1 2 c).
1961in Webster. 1975B. Meggs Matter of Paradise (1976) v. i. 106, I don't want to say anything more right now; this telephone isn't secure.
4. Of a place, also of means of protection or guardianship: Affording safety.
1610Holland Camden's Brit. i. 473 A sure and secure station or place of aboad. 1632Heywood 2nd Pt. Iron Age v. i, Hee stands vpon a strict and secure guard. 1634Milton Comus 327 In a place Less warranted then this, or less secure I cannot be, that I should fear to change it. 1660F. Brooke tr. Le Blanc's Trav. 30 The Isle hath two good Havens, one in the East, the other in the West, the others are not secure. a1700Evelyn Diary 23 June 1665, His dog sought out absolutely the very securest place in all the vessell [during the fight]. 1745Pococke Descr. East II. i. i. 5 The roads would be more secure about the time when the great caravan was passing. 1788Cowper On Mischiev. Bull 14, I could pity thee exil'd From this secure retreat. 1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) V. 357 It being a common opinion, that a feoffment was the most secure conveyance by which a tenant to the præcipe could be made.
5. Predicatively: In safe custody; safely in one's possession or power.
1591Shakes. 1 Hen. VI, i. iv. 49 In Iron Walls they deem'd me not secure. 1766Goldsm. Vic. W. ii, At least till your son has the young lady's fortune secure. 1791Cowper Iliad xvi. 272 He also kept Secure a goblet exquisitely wrought.
6. Free from risk as to the continued or future possession of something; having a safe prospect of some acquisition or desirable event. † Also with infinitive: Ensured against failure to do something. Cf. 2 b.
1664Tillotson Serm. i. Wks. (1714) 22 Consider man without the protection and conduct of a superior Being, and he is secure of nothing that he enjoys in this world, and uncertain of every thing that he hopes for. 1700Dryden Sigism. & Guisc. 626 For this, she had distill'd, with early Care, The Juice of Simples, friendly to Despair, A Magazine of Death; and this prepar'd, Secure to die, the fatal Message heard. 1705tr. Bosman's Guinea 10 No Body is here secure of Life. 1746Francis tr. Horace, Epist. ii. i. 69 Ennius..Forgets his Promise, now secure of Fame, And heeds no more his Pythagoric Dream. 1758S. Hayward Serm. Introd. 17 Oh happy case, when the soul..boldly ventures into eternity, secure of eternal life. 1770Goldsm. Des. Vill. 288 As some fair female unadorned and plain, Secure to please while youth confirms her reign. 1788Gibbon Decl. & F. xlii. IV. 548 The zeal of Cyril exposed him to the penalties of the Julian law; but in a feeble government, and a superstitious age, he was secure of impunity, and even of praise. 1825Scott Talism. vi, When they seemed most secure of victory. 1863H. Broughton Let. in Trevelyan Compet. Wallah (1866) 355 For, if they succeed in obtaining her attention, they are secure of her humanity and her justice.
7. Of a possession, acquisition, desirable event, etc.: That may be counted on with certainty; sure to continue or to be attained.
1713Swift Last Yrs. Q. Anne Wks. 1902 X. 31 Representing their opinion that no peace could be secure for Britain, while [etc.]. 1819Shelley Cyclops 438 Listen then what a punishment I have For this fell monster, how secure a flight From your hard servitude. 1848Thackeray Van. Fair xxxi, ‘If the worse comes to the worst’, Becky thought, ‘my retreat is secure; and I have a right-hand seat in the barouche’. 1860Tyndall Glac. i. xviii. 132 We knew that our progress afterwards was secure. 1874Green Short Hist. viii. §2 (1882) 461 At the Queen's accession, the success of the Reformation seemed almost everywhere secure.
B. quasi-adv. and adv. (Chiefly poet.)
c1592Marlowe Edw. II, iv. vi. 1893 Your grace may sit secure, if none but wee Doe wot of your abode. 1593Shakes. 3 Hen. VI, ii. v. 50 All which secure, and sweetly he enioyes. 1596― 1 Hen. IV, i. ii. 145 We may doe it [the robbery] as secure as sleepe. 1611Bible Judg. xviii. 7 They dwelt carelesse, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure. 1633Massinger Guardian ii. ii, Sleep you Secure on either ear. 1654Fuller Two Serm. 11 The Structure may still stand..by vertue of..such Foundations which still stand secure. 1738Gray Tasso 15 Against the stream the waves secure he trod. 1784Cowper Task vi. 970 Beneath the shadow of whose vine He sits secure. 1818Shelley Hymn Venus 34 Nor mortal men, nor gods Who live secure in their unseen abodes.
Add:[3.] g. Whose loyalty can be relied on; not a risk to security.
1969Listener 12 June 814/1 This village, Xuan Dong, is reckoned ‘secure’, meaning not under the influence of the Vietcong. 1978R. V. Jones Most Secret War xlviii. 480 The Americans had reversed their agreement to the documents coming to London—on the advice of Perrin and Walsh who had told them that my officers and I were not secure enough. 1979A. Price Tomorrow's Ghost i. 10 ‘They don't take just anyone in R and D. You have to have a security clearance, for a start.’..‘No problem, dearie. I'm absolutely secure.’
[4.] b. Designed to be difficult to escape from. (Chiefly applied to penal and psychiatric institutions or areas within them.)
1960V. Durand Disturbances Carlton Approved School 53 in Parl. Papers 1959–60 (Cmnd. 937) IX. 625 It is possible..that many of the schools which train boys of senior age might find it advantageous to have one or two secure rooms..ready for the separation of boys who suddenly become difficult to handle in what appears to be only a transient phase of conduct. 1962‘J. Bell’ Crime in our Time vi. ii. 220 More prisons both of the ‘open’ and the ‘secure’ types. 1975in Hall & Morrison's Law relating to Children & Young Persons (1977) (ed. 9) v. 1197 A secure unit may be defined as a room, or an area..in which special features have been incorporated for the express purpose of presenting a physical barrier to any attempt on the part of a child accommodated in such room or area to leave it without permission. 1976Economist 11 Sept. 22 So far there has been no opposition from the local community..to the secure ward. 1987Openmind Feb.–Mar. 5/1 Sectioned by her husband, she was then confined in a secure unit.
▪ III. secure, v.|sɪˈkjʊə(r)|
[f. secure a. Cf. med.L. sēcūrāre, sēcūriāre, Sp., Pg. segurar, It. sicurare.]
†1.
a. trans. To make free from care or apprehension; also, to make careless or over-confident. Obs. rare.
1604Shakes. Oth. i. iii. 10, I do not so secure me in the Error, But the maine Article I do approue In fearefull sense. 1605― Lear iv. i. 22 Full oft 'tis seene, Our meanes secure vs, and our meere defects Proue our Commodities. 1655Fuller Ch. Hist. ix. 82 [tr. Let. Mary Queen of Scots] To obtain of her, that she will let me go out of her country, whither I came, secured by her promises.
†b. To free from doubt, to satisfy, convince. Also, to make (one) feel secure of or against some contingency. Obs.
1602Cecil Let. to Mountjoy 7 Aug. in Moryson's Itin. (1617) ii. 235, I cannot be secured but that he wil stil feede that fier with fewel. 1646H. Lawrence Commun. & War with Angels 118 Which should incourage us to fight and secure us of the issue. 1666–7Pepys Diary 28 Feb., Mr. Holliard [a surgeon] dined with us... I love his company, and he secures me against ever having the stone again. 1668Owen Nat. Indwelling-Sin viii. 115 Until the soul..begins to secure it self of pardon in course.
2. To make secure or safe.
a. To make (a person, his life, etc.; rarely a thing) secure from danger or harm; to guard, protect.
Obs. exc. with reference to a specific danger mentioned or implied: see c.
1602Warner Alb. Eng. x. lviii. (1612) 248 And whilst the Writ in reading was [Mary Q. of Scots] no more regarded it, Then if it had secured or concerned her no whit. 1602Shakes. Ham. i. v. 116 Mar. Lord Hamlet. Hor. Heauen secure him. Mar. So be it. 1624Capt. Smith Virginia Ep. Ded. Wks. (Arb.) I. 276 The beauteous Lady Tragabigzanda, when I was a slaue to the Turkes, did all she could to secure me. 1639Fuller Holy War ii. iv. (1640) 48 Their profession was to fight against Infidels, and to secure Pilgrimes coming to the Sepulchre. c1645Tullie Siege Carlisle (1840) 34 Wilson..shot Cholmley in the brest, but his arms secured him. 1697Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 210 His lofty Pines, With friendly Shade, secur'd his tender Vines. a1700Evelyn Diary 22 Sept. 1641, A pass..securing me through Brabant and Flanders. 1706E. Ward Wooden World Diss. (1708) Advt., The Bill..for securing Property in Printed Books. 1707Sir W. Hope New Meth. Fencing i. 11 For 'tis a general Rule in Fencing..never to present one's Sword, without perfectly Covering, or Securing, as we call it, one side of the Body. 1722De Foe Col. Jack xix, Any English men-of-war that might be on the coast to secure us to the capes. 1729Tindal tr. Rapin's Hist. xvii. VIII. 439 They..only helped to secure Elizabeth's Affairs, who thereby was sheltered from the Quarter whence she had most to fear. 1775Johnson Let. to Mrs. Thrale 12 May, I really question if at this time my life would not be in danger, if distance did not secure it. 1776Gibbon Decl. & F. xiv. I. 410 Maximian..gave him [Severus] the most solemn assurances that he had secured his life by the resignation of the purple.
†b. refl. To obtain safety. Obs.
1593Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, v. ii. 76 Now is it manhood..To secure vs By what we can, which can no more but flye. 1697Potter Antiq. Greece i. iv. (1715) 15 Compelled to..secure himself by a dishonourable Flight. 1705tr. Bosman's Guinea 320 Each endeavouring to secure himself by getting away. 1735Johnson Lobo's Abyssinia, Descr. ii. 51 We had no way of securing ourselves but by flight. 1760T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. i. (1765) 186 His men had secured themselves in a swamp. 1793Smeaton Edystone L. §313 High wages..did not engage them to secure themselves with a sufficient stock of provisions. 1800Asiat. Ann. Reg., Misc. Tracts 30/2 He accordingly began to secure himself with Shujah al Dowlah, into whose service he entered. 1842W. C. Taylor Anc. Hist. xvii. §5 (ed. 3) 515 Though Didius..was able to secure himself in Rome, he could not [etc.].
c. To render safe, protect or shelter from, guard against some particular danger. Also refl.
1634Milton Comus 618 Care and utmost shifts How to secure the Lady from surprisal, Brought to my mind a certain Shepherd Lad. 1646J. Maxwell Burd. Issachar 34, I never accounted them as Apostles, men secur'd from error. 1679Moxon Mech. Exerc. ix. 164 The Battlement being..Man-high, to secure Men from the shot of their enemies. 1685Stillingfl. Orig. Brit. ii. 71 For when he came against the Bagaudæ, Carausius was employ'd to secure the Seas against the Franks and the Saxons. 1692Locke Consid. Lower. Interest 150 That way of Coinage less secures you from having a great part of your Money melted down. 1699Wanley in Lett. Lit. Men (Camden) 293 Whereby Mr. Benson may secure many old words from being buried in the grave of everlasting oblivion. 1741Watts Improv. Mind i. vii. §19 [We should] consult the dictionary, which may give us certain information, and thus secure us from mistake. 1748Anson's Voy. iii. ix. 386 A very safe road, secured from all winds. 1754J. Brown Barbarossa v. (1755) 66 Is the Watch doubled? Are the Gates secur'd Against Surprize? 1756Burke Subl. & B. iii. vi. Wks. I 224 The hedge-hog, so well secured against all assaults by his prickly hide. 1784Cowper Tiroc. 119 Neatly secur'd from being soil'd or torn. 1821Scott Kenilw. xxxiv, Amy hastily endeavoured to recall what she were best to say, which might secure herself from the imminent dangers that surrounded her, without endangering her husband. 1875Jowett Plato (ed. 2) V. 30 No possessions seemed to him to have any value which were not secured against enemies.
d. absol. To obtain security, take effective precautions against.
1658Whole Duty of Man vii. §19. 65 It being much more easie to abstain from all, than to secure against the one, when the other is allowed. 1818Scott Rob Roy xxxvi, The extreme strength of the country..made the establishment of this little fort seem rather an acknowledgment of the danger, than an effectual means of securing against it. 1828― F.M. Perth xx, This guard the burghers will willingly maintain, to secure against the escape of the murderer of their townsman.
†e. To take effectual precautions against, to prevent (a danger). Also, to prevent or preclude (a person) from doing something dangerous. Obs.
1633P. Fletcher Purple Isl. iv. iv, Which stretching round about his circling arms, Warrants these parts from all exteriour harms; Repelling angry force, securing all alar'ms. 1692R. L'Estrange Fables cciii. 174 Man only is the Creature, that to his Shame, no Benefits can Oblige, no nor Secure, even from seeking the Ruine of his Benefactor. 1697in Perry Hist. Coll. Amer. Col. Ch. I. 33 Such fort can be no security for his Majestys Customs, nor for finding and securing false and illegal trade. 1710C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 83 They Wall round the Wells to y⊇ mines to Secure their Mold'ring in upon them. Ibid. 140 They Carry much of their Carriages on sledges to secure their pitching in the streetes. 1831Scott Cast. Dang. viii, I deprecate no hardship..so I may secure you from acting with a degree of rashness, of which you will all your life repent. 1833T. Hook Parson's Dau. ii. ix, I have secured him from visiting Binford.
† f. To render (an action) safe; to free from attendant dangers. Also, to render (a place) safe for transit. Obs.
1617Sir O. St. John in Buccleuch MSS. (Hist. MSS. Comm.) I. 194 The King's ship and pinnace that are appointed for the securing of those seas. 1639Fuller Holy War v. v. (1640) 236 Two hundred and fourteen years..they [sc. the Hospitallers] mainteined this Island, and secured the seas for the passage of Pilgrimes to Jerusalem. 1667Milton P.L. v. 222 And to him call'd Raphael..that deign'd To travel with Tobias, and secur'd His marriage with the seaventimes-wedded Maid.
g. Mil. To render secure from attack or molestation by the enemy; to take defensive means for the safe execution of (a movement, e.g. a retreat, the crossing of a river); to guard efficiently (a pass, a defile).
1617Moryson Itin. ii. 66 His Lordship..sent Captaine Edward Blany with 500 foot and 50 horse, to secure their passage through the pace of the Moyrye. 1645Symonds Diary (Camden) 242 The out workes, which secured the suburbs. a1671Ld. Fairfax Mem. (1699) 21 It made us think of securing our retreat, with the prisoners we had got. 1698Fryer Acc. E. Ind. & P. 337 The Passes are easily secured (an Handful of men being able to withstand an Host). 1701Steele Funeral v. i, Then..you, and your Party, fall in to secure my Rear; while I march off with the Body. 1760Cautions & Adv. to Officers of Army 108 It may be the Means of saving an Army, or securing some Out-post of the utmost Importance. 1831Scott Ct. Rob. iv, To take post in the defile..and thus secure it for the passage of the rest of the army. 1849Macaulay Hist. Eng. ii. I. 261 Making dispositions which, in the worst event, would have secured his retreat. 1869Freeman Norm. Conq. (1876) III. xii. 210 The main point in the fortification was to secure the river.
h. Mil. to secure arms: ‘to hold a rifle or musket with the muzzle down, and lock well up under the arm, the object being to guard the weapon from the wet’ (Ogilvie 1882).
1802C. James Milit. Dict. s.v., Secure arms! a word of command which is given to troops who are under arms in wet weather. 1892Rifle Exerc. (L.-M.) 14 Secure Arms.
†i. To fence off. Obs. rare.
1710C. Fiennes Diary (1888) 86 Its vaine to trye y⊇ securing it [sc. a hole] round from any falling in. Ibid. 90 Water..does often flow y⊇ grounds after Raines, so the Road is secured wth a banck and a breast wall of a good Length.
j. To put in safety, ‘get in’ (a crop).
1885Times (weekly ed.) 11 Sept. 9/1 Shocks of oats, cut, though not yet secured.
3. To make secure or certain.
†a. To make (a person) secure of a present or future possession, of an ally or supporter, etc. Also const. to with infinitive. Obs.
1610Healey St. Aug. Citie of God xxi. xvii. 858 Assigning..a false blisse, vnto the Saints in heauen, where they..could neuer be secured to remaine. 1620Brent tr. Sarpi's Counc. Trent viii. (1676) 728 And indeed he was secure of France and Germany. For besides his treaty with Lorain which did abundantly secure him of France, he received at the same time a resolution from the Emperour. 1656Earl of Monmouth tr. Boccalini's Advts. fr. Parnass. ii. vi. 218 Since no man can secure himself of the next years plentiful harvest. 1670Dryden 1st Pt. Conq. Granada v. i, Secur'd of what we hold most dear, (Each other's Love) we'll go—I know not where. 1745in Col. Rec. Pennsylv. V. 5 Had I..been secured of Fund for supplying those Nations with Arms.
†b. refl. To get possession of, make sure of.
1675Machiavelli's Prince x. Wks. 71 By..securing himself nimbly of such as appear..turbulent. 1705Lond. Gaz. No. 4158/1, 3 or 4000 of the Inhabitants had taken up Arms,..and had secured themselves of Denia, a good Seaport Town. Ibid. No. 4162/1 Those who have declared for his..Majesty having secured themselves of Denia. 1725Broome Notes to Pope's Odyss. viii. 239 Ulysses..finds a way..to secure himself of a powerful advocate, by [etc.].
†c. To certify, assure (a person) of some fact. Also in asseverative phrase, I'll secure you. Obs.
1659Hammond Ps. lxxiii. 4 This doth not secure us of the importance of the word in this place. 1672Wycherley Love in Wood ii. iv, He spares not the Innocents in Bibs and Aprons (Ile secure you) he has made (at best) some gross mistake concerning Christina. 1674Boyle Excell. Theol. i. i. 32 For ought reason can secure us of, one of the conditions of that association may be, that the body and soul shall not survive each other. 1689Hickeringill Ceremony-Monger vi. 34 But Mum—not a Penny, I'll secure you, to make one Sound, and one Mouth. 1737Whiston Josephus, Antiq. Diss. ii. §3 The events and consequences of things afterwards always corresponded, and secured them of the truth of such divine revelations.
d. To establish (a person) securely in some position, privilege, etc.
1712Swift Jrnl. to Stella 27 Dec., Steele I have kept in his place. Congreve I have got to be used kindly, and secured. Rowe I have recommended, and got a promise of a place. 1713Addison Cato v. i, The Soul, secur'd in her Existence, smile's At the drawn Dagger, and defie's its Point. 1874Green Short Hist. iii. §3 (1882) 125 The towns were secured in the enjoyment of their municipal privileges.
e. To make (something) secure, certain, or reliable. Now only with reference to a prospective possession or result of action: ‘To place beyond hazard’ (J.), to ensure.
1653Holcroft Procopius, Goth. Wars iv. 126 In the Roman army was one Artabanes a Persarmenian, revolted lately to the Roman army, having secured his faith by the killing of a hundred and twenty Persian Souldiers. 1697Dryden Virg. Past. vi. 18 For he who sings thy Praise, secures his own. 1746Francis tr. Horace, Epist. i. xvi. 58 Whose Bail secures, whose Oath decides a Cause. 1836J. Gilbert Chr. Atonem. ii. (1852) 39 Yet merely to know that life immortal may be obtained, is not to secure our personal enjoyment of it. 1883P. H. Hunter Story of Daniel 151 Their manner of building secured a certain air of solidity and grandeur.
f. To make the tenure of (a property, office, privilege, etc.) secure to a person.
1736Butler Anal. i. iv. Wks. 1874 I. 82 Our whole present interest is secured to our hands, without any solicitude of ours. 1825Scott Betrothed Introd., The shareholder might contrive to secure to his heirs a handsome slice of his own death-bed and funeral expenses. 1856Froude Hist. Eng. (1858) I. ii. 150 Her right to the succession..would have been readily secured to her by act of parliament.
g. To make (a creditor) certain of receiving payment by means of a mortgage, bond, pledge, or the like.
1677A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 15 The Party lending the Moneys is safe, well and surely secured. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 41 Some of the large German houses in London..advanced large sums, taking care..to secure themselves by mortgages of parts of the public revenue.
h. To make the payment of (a debt, pension, etc.) certain by a mortgage or charge upon certain property.
1818Cruise Digest (ed. 2) II. 208, 2,000l. part of the money secured upon Gidea Hall. Ibid. IV. 392 Then such daughter should have 3,000l.,..to be secured upon some part of the estate. 1861M. Pattison Ess. (1889) I. 36 He assigns 1000 marks yearly as pinmoney to his son's wife, secured upon the Swiss possessions of his house.
i. With double obj.: To ensure (a person's) obtaining (something). rare. (In quot. pass.)
1831Scott Cast. Dang. xii, You shall be secured an opportunity of being fully heard.
4. To seize and confine; to keep or hold in custody; to imprison. Now somewhat rare.
1645Chas. I in Ellis Orig. Lett. Ser. i. III. 314 You should beginne with securinge the person of William Legge. 1677A. Yarranton Eng. Improv. 3 Some of which Persons..did intend to get me secured for setting out the strength of the Dutch. 1683Wood Life 6 Sept. (O.H.S.) III. 72 The pro-vice-chancellor would then have secured him [Mr. Parkinson],..till security for his appearance at the assizes should be produced. a1700Evelyn Diary 20 June 1689, Newes of a Plot discover'd, on which divers were sent to the Tower and secured. 1705[T. Walker] Wit of a Woman iii. 32 Secure that Rogue in the Stocks till we have search'd further. 1706Phillips (ed. Kersey), To Secure,..to apprehend or lay hold of one, to clap him into Prison. a1715Burnet Own Time (1724) I. 211 He proposed that about twenty of the chief gentlemen of those Counties might be secured: And he undertook for the peace of the countrey if they were clap'd up. 1799Ht. Lee Canterb. T., Old Wom. T. (ed. 2) I. 392 ‘Let him be secured’, said St. Aubert. 1818Scott Hrt. Midl. ii, Wilson and Robertson,..each secured betwixt two soldiers of the city guard. 1828–32Webster, Secure,..to inclose or confine effectually; to guard effectually from escape; sometimes, to seize and confine; as, to secure a prisoner. The sherif pursued the thief with a warrant, and secured him.
5. a. To make fast or firm.
1663Gerbier Counsel 97 And so much may suffice for the securing of doores and windowes. 1687M. Scrivener Will in Willis & Clark Cambridge (1886) III. 437 Chains for the securing the books. 1719De Foe Crusoe i. 305, I sent Friday with the Captain's Mate to the Boat, with Orders to secure her, and bring away the Oars and Sail. 1753Bartlet Gentl. Farriery xxv. 231 A proper compress of cloth, and a linnen rowler is absolutely necessary both for this purpose, and to secure on the dressings, wherever they can conveniently be applied. 1823Mechanic's Mag. I. 105 On the securing of carriage wheels. 1825Scott Betrothed viii, A girdle..secured by a large buckle of gold. 1867A. J. Wilson Vashti xix, She caught up her hair, twisted it hastily into a knot, and secured it with her comb. 1879Cassell's Techn. Educ. IV. 80/2 These work in nuts secured to the doors. 1894S. Weyman Man in Black 189 A wide-leafed hat, in which a costly diamond secured a plume of white feathers.
b. Surg. To close (a vein or artery) by ligature or otherwise, in order to prevent loss of blood.
1662Wiseman Treat. Wounds i. 35 Having thus secured the Vessels for the present. 1753Bartlet Gentl. Farriery xxvi. 234 Should the wound bleed much from an artery divided, the first step should be to secure that by passing a crooked needle underneath, and tying it up with a waxed thread. 1880C. Heath Man. Minor Surg. (ed. 6) 34 In the case of an amputation, the main artieries will be secured before the cord is loosened.
6. a. To get hold or possession of (something desirable) as the result of effort or contrivance.
1743Bulkeley & Cummins Voy. S. Seas 19 We took Care to secure some Powder, Ball, and a little Bread. 1748Smollett Rod. Rand. xxii, Having thus secured my good opinion, he began [etc.]. 1814Scott Antiq. i, The first comer hastens to secure the best birth in the coach for himself. 1824J. H. Newman Hist. Sk. (1873) II. ii. i. 246 [The profession] of arms..secures the almost undivided admiration of a rising and uncivilized people. 1855Prescott Philip II, I. ii. vii. 219 His cordial manners..secured the sympathy of all with whom he came in contact. 1873Tristram Moab Pref. 5 The splendid series of 180 photographs which they secured.
b. Rugby Football. To get or obtain (a try).
1885Field 31 Jan. 135/2 The last-mentioned secured a try between the posts.
7. Hort. (See quot. 1928.)
1928Daily Express 11 Aug. 4/2 The Japanese varieties of the chrysanthemum are now beginning to show their flower buds, and these should be ‘secured’, as it is called, at the earliest possible moment. This is done by pinching out with the thumb and finger the incipient side shoots or laterals that will be found in process of formation immediately beneath the buds and in the axils of the leaves. 1951Dict. Gardening (R. Hort. Soc.) I. 476/1 It should be possible to secure the first crown bud of many varieties during the last week in July.
Add:[5.] c. U.S. Navy. (a) trans. To restore (equipment, engines, a vessel) to a normal state of readiness after action or drill. (b) intr. To be released from drill or duty; to go off duty; also occas. causatively, to release (a crew member) from drill or duty.
1909T. Beyer Life in Navy 42 After Secure has sounded everything is re-stowed, magazines are locked and the keys returned to the captain. The keys of the magazines can be secured only with the special permission of the captain. 1918L. E. Ruggles Navy Explained 131 Secure, to stop drilling, to knock off a certain task. To secure from drill such as general quarters, abandon ship, collision, or fire drill. 1927G. Bradford Gloss. Sea Terms 153/2 A signal..to signify that the engines are needed no longer, and may be secured. 1945J. Bryan Diary 8 Apr. in Aircraft Carrier (1954) 152 When a ship is secured from general quarters, the doors and hatches and scuttles are not closed, made secure—they're opened. I don't get it. 1946T. Heggen Mister Roberts 94 The engine room called the bridge for permission to secure the main engines. 1956Amer. Speech XXXI. 190 An hour or more of drilling, and the boots are ready to secure (turn in for the night). 1957M. Shulman Rally round Flag, Boys! (1958) xx. 235 It was a routine training exercise... The launchers were all in firing position... Walker secured the troops from alert. 1978H. Wouk War & Remembrance v. 44 You're securing from this duty. 1988Noel & Beach Naval Terms Dict. (ed. 5) 248 Secure from fire drill. |