safe depositn.
/ˌseɪf dᵻˈpɒzɪt/, U.S. /ˌseɪf dəˈpɑzət/, /ˌseɪf diˈpɑzət/ 1. Something valuable stored in a secure place. Also figurative. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > supply > storage > [noun] > place where anything is or may be stored > place of safe storage
chesta700
cofferc1300
aumbry1356
salvatorya1676
safe deposit1706
lock-up1843
society > trade and finance > money > place for keeping money > treasury > [noun] > safe deposit
safe deposit1706
safety box1844
safety deposit1867
1706 D. Defoe Jure Divino iii. 27 Both must the safe Deposit guard and see, 'Tis left uninjur'd to Posterity.
a1729 R. Moss Serm. (1737) VI. 260 What shall be thus dispersed abroad is in Truth laid up in Store, as a safe Deposit with God.
1856 U.S. Mag. Dec. 528/2 In the orchard..was buried a huge jar of gold, which he had hidden there during an Indian incursion, and afterward left as a safe deposit.
2003 W. Lashner Fatal Flaw (2004) xxii. 230 Slowly the top slid off, and there it was, Hailey Proulx's safe deposits.
2. A secure place in which money and valuable items are stored; spec. (in later use) a vault containing a number of safe-deposit boxes, typically within a bank or hotel, or in a facility used specifically for this purpose; (also) = safe-deposit box n. at Compounds 2. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > place for keeping money > money box or chest > [noun] > safe
safe1668
safe deposit1768
salamander safe1840
box1891
pete1909
keister1913
night safe1930
pete box1930
the mind > possession > supply > storage > [noun] > place where anything is or may be stored > place of safe storage > specific
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strongroom1676
safe deposit1768
1768 E. Wynne Eunomus II. ii. 93 The Bank of England may be considered in two lights. 1. As a safe deposit of Money. and 2. as..invested with property itself.
1800 E. M. Foster Miriam I. iii. 27 Her little heart had found a safe deposit for its thoughts.
1886 Encycl. Brit. XXI. 145/1 The public safes or safe-deposits erected in most of the great cities of America and in London.
1911 E. P. Oppenheim Havoc xxx. 256 It is in the safe deposit of a hotel to which I have moved.
1934 L. Charteris Boodle x. 219 He stopped..at a safe-deposit, where his box yielded him a thick wad of various European currencies.
2011 Augusta (Georgia) Chron. (Nexis) 20 Feb. b1 He then took a train (and his treasure) back to Atlanta and placed it in a safe deposit in his hometown Trust Company bank.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.
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1861 N.-Y. Times 27 Mar. 4/1 The bill incorporating the New-York Safe Deposit Company was passed.
1880 W. Newton Serm. for Boys & Girls (1881) 338 I went down into the vaults of one of our great safe-deposit buildings.
1951 Lowell (Mass.) Sunday Sun 10 June (Special Union Bank section) 4/1 The ornamental bronze grille and door admitting to the safe deposit department and the vaults remain intact.
1995 M. Lawrence et al. Which? Guide Home Safety & Security ii. 137 Most banks offer safe-deposit facilities. What they charge for the service will depend on the size of the package or deed box you want stored, and on how frequently you need access to it.
2007 C. Stross Halting State (2008) 15 One of the staff invokes an imp or servitor to take this or that item to the safe deposit vaults.
C2.
safe-deposit box n. a secure box or safe for storing valuable items; spec. one of several, each for the use of a particular person, in a vault in a bank or other facility; cf. safety deposit box at safety n. Compounds 3.
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1870 Amer. Artisan 22 June 390/3 Official list of patents... Safe-deposit box.
1882 Cent. Mag. Mar. 769/1 They did not ask for the key of the safe-deposit box, or for other evidence.
1970 K. Roos What did Hattie See? x. 92 You don't give a dame a key to your safe deposit box.
2010 Berkshire Eagle (Pittsfield, Mass.) (Nexis) 20 Nov. Examination of one area bank's updated list of fees reveals nearly 20 examples of higher fees for..money orders, stop-payment orders, signature guarantees, safe-deposit boxes, and so on.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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