securityn.
/sᵻˈkjʊərᵻti/, /sᵻˈkjɔːrᵻti/, U.S. /səˈkjʊrədi/ I. The state or condition of being or feeling secure.
1.
a. Freedom from care, anxiety or apprehension; absence of worry or anxiety; confidence in one's safety or well-being.rare before the 19th cent. except in negative sense: see 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > freedom from trouble, care, or sorrow > [noun]
lissOE
carelessnessc1000
restOE
peacea1225
ease?c1225
bielda1300
quietc1330
heartseasea1393
suretya1413
securitya1425
secureness1550
serenity1599
assecurance1616
euthymy1623
sereneness1628
levitya1631
repose1652
untroublednessa1660
serenitude1672
serene1744
securance1849
the mind > mental capacity > expectation > hope > confident hope, trust > [noun]
to-hopec888
tristc1200
trusta1398
confidencec1430
affiancec1460
confiance1490
confidency1606
securitya1620
a1425 Dialogue Reason & Adversity (Cambr.) (1968) 33 (MED) Mekenesse, soburnesse, sekurite, & reste loue wel þe cumpanye of symple pouerte.
a1620 M. Fotherby Atheomastix (1622) i. xii. §1. 122 The soule cannot haue..any true ioy,..vnlesse the same be founded..in security, and in confidence, and in tranquility. All which do imply a vacuity from feare.
1713 R. Bentley Remarks Disc. Free-thinking I. xviii. 36 A man given to Superstition can have no security, day or night, waking or sleeping.
1794 J. Priestley Let. 13 June in Life & Corr. (1832) II. iii. 255 That tranquillity and sense of security which scientifical pursuits require, cannot be had.
1814 M. Edgeworth Patronage II. xxii. 274 He maintained, that no man can speak with ease, and security, in public, till [etc.].
1915 Jrnl. Amer. Med. Assoc. 29 May 120/2 It affords you the security of knowing that there are such tests to insure the..uniformity of the preparation.
1977 Monitor (McAllen, Texas) 7 June 16 a A feeling of security comes with owning your own home.
2002 R. Porter Blood & Guts iv. 97 Prozac, a drug which..creates a..sense of security and assertiveness.
b. A false sense of this; culpable absence of anxiety; overconfidence, complacency, carelessness. Now rare.Common from the 16th to the 18th cent. N.E.D. (1911) notes this sense as archaic or surviving ‘only contextually’ in that period.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > courage > confidence > [noun] > over-confidence or presumption
overtrowOE
over-boldnessc1450
securitya1555
prefidence1592
overconfidence1692
a1555 J. Bradford Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1180/1 Our vainglory, our viciousnesse, auarice, idlenes, securitye.
1585 Abp. E. Sandys Serm. xii. 189 They..were drowned in sinnefull securitie.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) iii. v. 32 Security Is Mortals cheefest Enemie. View more context for this quotation
1679 W. Penn Addr. Protestants i. 42 His Security (the Effect of his Luxury) was his Ruin.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture I. 69/1 The archers may privately annoy the enemy, as he moves about the Field in security.
1774 E. Burke Let. to Marq. Rockingham in Corr. (1844) I. 496 The supineness, neglect, and blind security of my friend, in that, and every thing that concerns him.
1780 S. Johnson Let. 30 May (1992) III. 264 Do not remit your care, for in your condition it is certain, that security will produce danger.
1811 M. Brunton Self-control II. xxv. 175 Lady Pelham smiled at Laura's security, which she did not consider as an infallible sign of safety.
1823 W. Scott Peveril II. vii. 187 The security and carelessness of the centinels, who had suffered such preparations to be made without observation or alarm given.
1876 J. B. Mozley Univ. Serm. (1877) iii. 63 It is an imaginary immortality which encloses him in sevenfold security, even while he stands upon its very last edge.
1905 tr. H. Malot Conscience xxvii. 210 To..sleep in an imprudent security on saying to himself that this meeting was improbable.
2. Freedom from danger or threat.
a. The state or condition of being protected from or not exposed to danger; safety.In early use sometimes as a count noun: †an instance of this (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > [noun] > safety or security
frithc893
sickernessc1230
orec1275
suretya1387
sickerty1405
surenessc1425
surance1426
security?a1475
warrandice1512
assurance1559
fastness1596
impunity1800
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1865) I. 77 Also hit [Paradise] hathe securite, to the whiche seyenge the altitude of the place berrethe testimonye [L. Habet et securitatem cui attestatur loci altitudo].
1492 J. Ryman Poems lxxx, in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1892) 89 249 Thyne eye of grace vpon vs cast, Of helth and of securitee.
1582 R. Stanyhurst tr. Virgil First Foure Bookes Æneis i. 7 Therefor No worldly corner can theym securitye warrant.
1590 C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. (1981) v. i. 29 To entertain some care of our securities While..danger beat upon our walls.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 13 This Earle providing for his securitie, about this time imprisoned the above mentioned sonnes of Shane ONeale.
1648 Moderate No. 3. 23 They consider and take care likewise of the Parliaments safe sitting and security.
1745 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1851) V. 26 Some Provision should be made for the Security of our Frontier Settlements at least.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. xxxi. 229 The emperor and his court enjoyed..the security of the marshes and fortifications of Ravenna.
1823 J. M. Duncan Trav. U.S. & Canada II. xiii. 42 The rock..had suddenly given way, and a mass..upon which I had formerly imagined myself in security, now..shattered.
1861 M. Pattison in Westm. Rev. Apr. 414 The Esterlings..lay in security behind their walls, while the Flemish and other foreign residents fell helpless victims to the rage of the populace.
1902 G. S. Whitmore Last Maori War i. 2 These streams..[remain] impassable for weeks,..and during such periods the Uriwera warrior can rest in security.
2002 Cigar Aficionado Jan. 36 (advt.) The security of living behind stately gates.
b. The safety or safeguarding of (the interests of) a state (or, sometimes, a coalition of states) against some internal or external threat, now esp. terrorism, espionage, etc.; the condition of being so safeguarded.Sometimes with modifying word, as public, state, etc.collective security, homeland security, national security: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > [noun] > safety or security > security of the interests of the state, etc.
security1577
1577 J. Dee Gen. Mem. Arte Nauig. 60 This Grand Nauy, of peaceable king Edgar..[provides] Kingly lessons..to be as Prouident for Publik Security, as he was.
1665 R. Brathwait Captive-captain 152 This pretended Cause of Publick safety, or State-security.
1760 ‘Publicola’ Reasons for & against lowering Gold & Silver 32 This love of society, or benevolence..is that solid rock upon which the public security is securely rested.
1783 G. Washington in Pennsylvania Gaz. 3 Sept. I cannot hesitate to contribute my best endeavours towards the establishment of the national security.
1818 H. Hallam View Europe Middle Ages II. viii. 131 The public security..was thought incompatible with a minor king.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. II. ix. 331 They believed truly that the security of the state required unusual precautions.
1948 Life 6 Sept. 100/3 Totalitarian regimes imposed on free peoples..undermine... the security of the United States.
1955 Times 25 July 5/4 What we have now agreed makes it possible to get to grips with the twin problems of the unity of Germany and the security of Europe.
1975 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 3 June 6/2 He accuse Mr. Trudeau of breaching the security of the country by mentioning..that the underground operation centre..is located at Carp.
2004 Time 1 Mar. 42/3 Iraq's newly reformed police force is..trying to return security to a country that has been threatened by internal chaos.
c. The condition or fact of being secure or unthreatened in a particular situation; freedom from material or financial want; stability, assurance (of rights, position, employment, etc.).job security, old age security, social security, etc.: see the first element.
ΚΠ
1788 J. Priestley Lect. Hist. v. li. 334 In the turbulent times of the feudal system there could have been no security for handicraftsmen and traders but in privileged places.
1828 New Monthly Mag. 24 523/1 Institutions which afford no security of rights or redress of wrongs, but impoverish and corrupt us.
1872 Bell's Princ. Law Scotl. (ed. 6) §1947 831 An appropriation of certain lands to the wife;..her security depending on the completion of her right by infeftment.
1903 A. Smellie Men of Covenant (ed. 2) xxxii. 352 He became the cavalier's personal attendant... His security lay, of course, in his lord's deafness; for, although the two conversed by signs, [etc.]
1987 C. Phillips European Tribe Introd. 8 This path offered no security; I had little writing experience beyond a handful of teenage stories.
2000 U.S. News & World Rep. 15 May 46/1 Those dutiful executives of the 1950s who gave their all to the corporation in return for security and a clear identity of purpose.
d. The safety of an organization, establishment, or building from espionage, criminal activity, illegal entrance or escape, etc.
ΚΠ
1941 E. John Lofoten Let. 34 Major Talbot..prides himself..on the ‘security’ of this expedition... [note] That is the Army term for what normal people call ‘secrecy’.
1945 N. Streatfeild Saplings (2002) xlviii. 326 She told herself it was just American fussiness about security, but... he could have written if he wanted to.
1954 U.S. Treaties & Other Internat. Agreements 1952 (U.S. Dept. State) 3 ii. 2646 The territorial waters at present agreed upon as being essential to the security of the Base.
1971 Bahamian Rev. Nov. 32/2 The ‘Night Guard’ luminaire is turned on automatically at dusk and switched off automatically at dawn, providing night-long security.
2000 N.Y. Times 1 Jan. a12/3 Three days after a prison guard and an inmate were killed,..law-enforcement officials in the area raised questions about the security of the prison farm.
e. With reference to encryption, or telecommunications or computer systems: the state of being protected from unauthorized access; freedom from the risk of being intercepted, decoded, tapped, etc.
ΚΠ
1864 C. Babbage Passages Life Philosopher xviii. 236 We were thus confirmed in our conviction of the security of our cipher.]
1955 L. D. Smith Cryptography iii. 56 In many ciphers much additional security is gained by a second transposition.
1972 Guardian 8 July 11/4 The candidates' staffs are nervously checking the security of their telephone lines.
1974 Datamation Jan. 57/1 A ‘Trojan Horse’ technique was used to compromise the security of a campus time-sharing computer system.
1992 High Life (Brit. Airways) Nov. 52/1 (advt.) Enhance your security with our Secureline 440 Telephone Encryption System.
2006 Computer Weekly 31 Oct. 68/1 Ethical hackers attempt to use the same methods criminal hackers would use to break into an organisation's systems to expose gaps in security, which can then be closed.
3. Freedom from doubt about something; confidence, assurance; (in later use esp.) well-founded confidence, certainty; an instance of this. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > absence of doubt, confidence > [noun]
sickerlaika1225
sickerness?c1225
sickerheadc1250
boldness1330
certaintya1340
traistc1340
assurancec1374
certain138.
sureness1419
surancea1450
affiancec1460
certitude?a1475
resting?a1475
security1535
firmancec1540
confidence1555
assuredness1561
resolution1590
plerophory1598
reliance1606
undoubtfulness1619
positiveness1711
positivity1741
decidedness1800
positivism1842
undoubtingness1857
inexpugnability1864
1535 W. Marshall tr. Marsilius of Padua Def. of Peace ii. xxviii. f. 121 He had not securyte..of the gospell that he preached, excepte it had ben confyrmed..by..Peter.
1598 A. M. tr. J. Guillemeau Frenche Chirurg. 31 b/2 We may safelye, and with all securitye, vse them.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. x. 42 Hee begets a security of himselfe, and a carelesse eye unto the last remunerations. View more context for this quotation
1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 6 July (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1367 Negligence would imply, either an indifference about pleasing, or else an insolent security of pleasing.
1790 F. Burney Diary July (1842) V. 145 He came..with an honest, straightforward security of the welcome he really found.
1801 M. Edgeworth Forester in Moral Tales I. 189 The..foreman..appealed, with assumed security, to the entry in the books.
1849 C. Brontë Shirley II. iv. 110 She told Mr. Hall they might count on her with security.
1908 Amer. Hist. Rev. 13 504 There were no general works on the economic history of the Revolution of such a sort as to make it easy to state with security its chief problems.
1991 T. Caplow et al. Recent Social Trends U.S. i. 5 The recent reversal [sc. of the birth rate] is so modest that we cannot with any security locate it in any particular part of the age spectrum.
4. The quality of being firmly fixed or attached; stability, fixity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > absence of movement > [noun] > stability > condition of being firmly fixed
fastnesseOE
firmitya1450
stablishness1530
firmitude?1541
steadfastnessa1542
firmness1600
fixure1603
security1770
fixation1894
1770 J. Garton Pract. Gardener 152 Leave a part of the stock remaining above the bud, to which the shoots may..be fastened for security.
1849 Sketches Nat. Hist.: Mammalia IV. 169 Who can mistake the meaning..of the security of the union of the clavicle to the large scapula?
1871 Trans. Gynaecol. Soc. Boston 4 290 It would be well, for greater security's sake, to fasten the extremity of the braid external to the cavity of the peritoneum.
1900 Pacific Reporter 59 130/1 Whether, if fastened with ordinary security, It would have withstood the shock of this particular collision.
1988 Pop. Mech. Apr. 98/3 Insert a wood block between the jamb and the stud at the strike plates for additional support and security.
2002 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 20 Jan. 43/1 The star, her jacket open almost to her navel, explained that she used ‘tit tape’—adhesive body tape—for security.
II. A means of being or making secure, and related senses.† 8. A thing that fixes or secures; a means of securing or fixing in position. Obsolete.
5. Chiefly Law.
a. Property, etc., deposited or pledged by or on behalf of a person as a guarantee of the payment of a debt, and liable to forfeit in the event of default.See also Phrases 3, and cf. pledge n. 1c.collateral security, mortgage security, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > security > [noun] > a pledge or security > pledge deposit
borrowa975
weda1122
security1444
pawn1479
pledge1490
collateral1887
1444 in T. Rymer Fœdera (1710) XI. 55 (MED) The Cardinal of Englande hath Granted to Leve unto Us the Somme of Two Thousand Marc..upon the Securetee for his Repaiement therof.
1576 in J. H. Burton Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1878) 1st Ser. II. 539 To subscrive and returne the forme of security.
1606 No-body & Some-body sig. C2 Without good securitie they will lend Nobody mony.
1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe iv. sig. F2 Tent... Wel sir, your security. Amb. Why sir two Diamonds here.
?1620 S. Rowlands Paire of Spy-knaues 15 Bonds, Bils, and words, I'le trust none of you three. Bring good securitie to deale with me.
1724 in Fasti Aberd. (1854) 205 Money..to be laid out..upon land or upon reall or personal security, and the interest or yearly produce thereof is to be applyed [etc.].
1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. 480 The petitioners..must be bound in a security of 200l, to make the party amends in case they do not prove him a bankrupt.
1818 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. (ed. 2) II. 90 The mortgagee holds the estate merely as a pledge or security for the repayment of his money.
1833 H. Martineau Manch. Strike (new ed.) viii. 85 It was frequently necessary to borrow money,..on the security of what was to come in during the next week.
1867 Edinb. Evening Courant 28 Jan. 1/2 The Standard Investment Society have agreed to advance one thousand pounds..on security of the building.
1906 J. Galsworthy Man of Property 259 I'm told the money-lenders won't lend if you have no security, and he has none—none at all.
1957 Times 26 Nov. 6/2 The son..lent some money to one of his customers on security of three watches and a travelling clock.
1989 What Mortgage Mar. 45/1 Both your home and the insurance policy act as security on the loan.
2002 Choice June 5/2 You'd probably be horrified by the idea of leaving a debit card..or bank passbook with a retailer as security for credit.
b. Property pledged (or, occasionally, a person held) to guarantee someone's good conduct, appearance in court at a specified time, or fulfilment of some other obligation.See also Phrases 3.
ΚΠ
1449–50 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1449 §44. m. 7 Where securitee of peas was axed bifore you in your said court.
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) ii. viii. sig. S 8 And so vpon securitie of both sides, they [sc. the prisoners] were enterchanged.
1594 Life & Death Iacke Straw i. sig. C And for securitie of my backe returne..They keepe my wife and children for a pledge.
1683 A. Wood Life & Times (1894) III. 72 The pro-vice-chancellor would then have secured him.., till security for his appearance at the assizes should be produced.
1790 J. Bruce Trav. Source Nile I. iii. 46 We obliged him to give his son Mahomet in security for his behaviour towards us.
1859 Harper's Mag. Jan. 148/1 A sum of one hundred and twenty thousand dollars was to be deposited at its commencement, as security of the fulfillment of the contract.
?1860 A. J. H. Duganne Hist. Govts. 249 He [sc. a Japanese prince] is obliged to leave his family as security, whenever he is absent from the capital.
1909 T. Johnston Our Scots Noble Families 93 The Privy Council took the matter up, and demanded security for the future good behaviour of the Earl.
1987 Post-Standard (Syracuse N.Y.) (Nexis) 5 Aug. 1/1 Alexander could have secured the bail by..offering property as security.
2001 Connecticut Post (Nexis) 27 Jan. [They] debated whether Giordano constituted a risk to flee. Bowman proposed a deal where four houses..would be posted as security.
c. figurative and in figurative contexts. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1594 Zepheria xv. sig. C 4 The modest blush that did my cheekes attire Was to thy virgin feares statute securitie.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. ii. 39 If a man is through with them in honest taking vp, then they must stand vppon security . View more context for this quotation
1649 E. Reynolds Israels Prayer (new ed.) ii. 69 We..stagger and be disheartened, if we have not double securitie from God.
1744 J. Swift On Testimony Consc. in Three Serm. 38 It is impossible for a Man who openly declares against Religion, to give any reasonable Security that he will not be false and cruel.
1858 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. (ed. 2) III. xiii. 183 Honesty of purpose is no security for soundness of understanding.
1878 R. B. Smith Carthage 283 The word of a Gracchus..was his bond; and a bond which was a first-rate security.
1955 tr. M. Luther 95 Theses in Wks. XXXI. 30 It is vain to trust in salvation by indulgence letters, even though..the pope, were to offer his soul as security.
d. A person who stands surety for another.In quot. 1681: an institution having the same role.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > security > [noun] > a bondsman or guarantor
borrowa1000
festermanOE
inborghc1175
pledge1348
surety1428
warrant1478
soverty1517
creditor1523
cautionerc1565
warranter1583
caution1586
warranty1586
security1600
stipulator1610
engager1611
pawner1611
undertaker1616
bond1632
ensurer1654
cautionary1655
security man1662
voucher1667
warrantee1668
respondent1672
guarand1674
guarantee1679
guaranty1684
hypothecator1828
warrantor1850
guarantor1853
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 i. ii. 33 He saide sir, you should procure him better assurance then Bardolfe, he would not take his band and yours, he liked not the securitie . View more context for this quotation
1681 N. Luttrell Diary in Brief Hist. Relation State Affairs (1857) I. 135 There was..a motion made that the citty should undertake the businesse of insuring houses from fire, and that the chamber of London should be the security.
1686 tr. J. Chardin Trav. Persia 43 He would engage his word and be security for the performance of what the Chancellor had declar'd.
1710 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 13 Nov. (1948) I. 95 Have two people bound..and when one dies, you fall upon the other, and make him add another security.
1786 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings vii. 175 Croftes offered the said Richard Johnson as one of his securities for the performance of the said contract.
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xxvii. 334 B wants a loan... B proposes self and two securities. B is accepted. Two securities give a bond.
1978 J. Seigel Marx's Fate ix. 256 In October Marx asked Engels to be his security for a loan of £100.
2008 P. Freeman Julius Caesar iii. 86 Rome's richest man pledged himself as security to the most insistent of Caesar's bankers.
e. Chiefly in plural. Originally: a document held by a creditor as a guarantee of the right to payment, or attesting ownership of property, stock, bonds, etc.; (hence) the financial asset represented by such a document. Also (originally and chiefly U.S.): such a document issued to investors to finance a business venture.bearer security, portfolio security, trustee security, etc.: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal obligation > bond or recognizance > requiring or giving legal security > [noun] > legal security
security1606
society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > [noun] > credit documents
precept1473
bill of credit1616
letter of credit1616
security1712
shop note1720
paper credit1725
shop-ticket1777
credit letter1843
circular note1850
book1863
society > trade and finance > stocks and shares > stocks, shares, or bonds > [noun]
capital1569
capital stock1569
security1746
financial instrument1798
dead stock1836
1606 W. Arthur & H. Charteris Rollock's Lect. 1st & 2nd Epist. Paul to Thessalonians (1 Thess.) xvi. 200 Al the warrands, Charters and securities, which thou hast of thy lands.
1692 J. Locke Some Considerations Lowering Interest 132 But how Securities will be mended by lowering of Interest, is, I confess, beyond my Comprehension.
1712 J. Arbuthnot John Bull Still in Senses viii. 33 When I wanted Money, half a dozen of these Fellows were always waiting in my Antichamber, with their Securities ready drawn.
1746 Ld. Chancellor Hardwicke in J. T. Atkyns Rep. Cases Chancery (1782) III. 444 Neither South-Sea stock nor Bank stock are considered as a good security.
1848 J. S. Mill Princ. Polit. Econ. I. i. iv. §3 76 He buys from the State what are called government securities; that is, obligations by the government to pay a certain annual income.
1879 Daily News 26 May Liquid Securities, or in other words, those easily convertible into cash when necessity arises.
1925 R. H. Montgomery Financial Handbk. vii. 526 The financial executive..will naturally adapt the securities offered by his company so as best to fit in with the market he is trying to reach.
1937 J. I. Bogen Corporation Finance xiii. 223 Most..successful enterprises can raise funds..through the sale of securities.
1989 EuroBusiness Jan. 39/3 The British offices differ on whether convertible stocks are shares or fixed-interest securities.
2009 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 12 Feb. 16/1 Even commercial banks..borrowed aggressively to invest in the mortgage-backed securities.
6. Something which secures or makes safe.
a. A protection or defence against, from, †for something.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > [noun] > safety or security > a means or source of
sickerness1483
securitya1586
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [noun] > means of protection or defence
hornc825
shieldc1200
warranta1272
bergha1325
armour1340
hedge1340
defencec1350
bucklerc1380
protectiona1382
safety1399
targea1400
suretyc1405
wall1412
pavise?a1439
fencec1440
safeguard?c1500
pale?a1525
waretack1542
muniment1546
shrouda1561
bulwark1577
countermure1581
ward1582
prevention1584
armourya1586
fortificationa1586
securitya1586
penthouse1589
palladium1600
guard1609
subtectacle1609
tutament1609
umbrella1609
bastion1615
screena1616
amulet1621
alexikakon1635
breastwork1643
security1643
protectionary1653
sepiment1660
back1680
shadower1691
aegis1760
inoculation1761
buoya1770
propugnaculum1773
panoply1789
armament1793
fascine1793
protective1827
beaver1838
face shield1842
vaccine1861
zariba1885
wolf-platform1906
firebreak1959
a1586 Sir P. Sidney Arcadia (1590) iii. xi. sig. Oo6v For your securitie for any treacherie (hauing no hostage woorthie to counteruaile you) take my woorde, which I esteeme aboue all respectes.
1664 J. Tillotson Serm. i, in Wks. (1714) 23 If the providence of God be taken away, what security have we against those innumerable dangers to which human nature is continually expos'd?
1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions 21 Universal Practice..does at this day make Lead the common security of Iron-work against Rust.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. v. 90 Mankind,..stand in need of virtuous Habits for a Security against this Danger.
1798 J. Ferriar Med. Hist. III. 208 The slightest appearance of beginning putrefaction, affords sufficient security against any revisitings of life.
1832 H. Martineau Life in Wilds i. 21 A good fire..was always a perfect security against the attacks of wild beasts.
1850 S. G. Goodrich Pict. Hist. Amer. (rev. ed.) vi. 59 Their asylum, however difficult of access, was not a security from the pursuit of their incensed tyrants.
1961 Fowler's Mech. Engineer's Pocket Bk. (ed. 63) 248 As a security against the over-heating of the Superheater Elements it is highly important that the Super-heater [etc.].
2002 K. B. Whisman Me Crazy? 44 Being overweight was my security against the world.
b. Without complement: a protection, guard, or defence.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > [noun] > means of protection or defence
hornc825
shieldc1200
warranta1272
bergha1325
armour1340
hedge1340
defencec1350
bucklerc1380
protectiona1382
safety1399
targea1400
suretyc1405
wall1412
pavise?a1439
fencec1440
safeguard?c1500
pale?a1525
waretack1542
muniment1546
shrouda1561
bulwark1577
countermure1581
ward1582
prevention1584
armourya1586
fortificationa1586
securitya1586
penthouse1589
palladium1600
guard1609
subtectacle1609
tutament1609
umbrella1609
bastion1615
screena1616
amulet1621
alexikakon1635
breastwork1643
security1643
protectionary1653
sepiment1660
back1680
shadower1691
aegis1760
inoculation1761
buoya1770
propugnaculum1773
panoply1789
armament1793
fascine1793
protective1827
beaver1838
face shield1842
vaccine1861
zariba1885
wolf-platform1906
firebreak1959
1643 R. Baker Chron. Kings of Eng. i. 59 Anjou was neighbouring upon Normandy, a great security to it, if a friend; and as great a danger, if an enemy.
1658 Bp. J. Taylor Let. 21 June in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 5 Nothing is so great a security to love as never to remember any unkindnesse.
1743 N. Tindal tr. P. Rapin de Thoyras Hist. Eng. (ed. 3) II. xvii. 62/2 She at last formed two Parties in the Court and Kingdom, which proved her security, as she was necessary to Both.
1791 A. Radcliffe Romance of Forest I. ii. 56 Concealment was his only security.
1817 J. Mill Hist. Brit. India II. iv. vi. 230 He endeavoured to obtain the security of at least a written promise for these terms which had been offered in order to gain his consent.
1881 J. A. Froude Short Stud. IV. ii. v. 226 Piety, which is a security for good faith, is none against credulity.
1912 Drama May 105 The security her love afforded Has fall'n away.
2007 P. Deen Ain't all about Cookin' (2009) 29 My daddy was my security... So, what was the reason for Daddy's dying so soon?
7. Grounds for regarding something as secure, safe, or certain; an assurance, safeguard, guarantee. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > [noun] > safety or security > guaranteed security > guarantee of safety
safeguarda1413
safe conduct?a1439
acquitc1460
soverance1488
security1623
the mind > language > speech > agreement > security > [noun] > a pledge or security
warrantisea1300
surancec1300
borrow-gage1303
suretyc1330
wage1338
wed1340
again-behotera1382
hostagec1400
sickeringa1450
gage1486
soverty1488
vadimonyc1503
pledge1526
slauntiagh1535
band1596
mortgage1598
ward and warsela1600
covenant1644
guaranty1697
security1711
guaranteeship1715
cautionment1815
guarantee1832
1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. ii Securitie giuen one for safe comming. Safe conduite.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 19 To contemne Fame is but a security of doing ill.
1711 J. Swift Conduct of Allies 19 We could have no Security for our Trade, while that Kingdom [sc. Spain] was subject to a Prince of the Bourbon Family.
1751 J. Jortin Serm. (1771) IV. xv. 301 We can have no access to him, no security of His favor, unless we endeavour to conform to His precepts.
1817 Pamphleteer 9 385 Is not Parliament competent..to..stipulate securities sufficient to satisfy the most nervous of the opposers of [Catholic] Emancipation?
1856 T. B. Macaulay Goldsmith in Biogr. (1860) 71 Both what was good and what was bad in Goldsmith's character was, to his associates, a perfect security that he would never commit such villany.
1863 H. Fawcett Man. Polit. Econ. ii. x. 282 What..the poor especially require when they buy their tea and sugar is, the security that they obtain an unadulterated article.
1917 Times 4 Oct. 8 Europe must..after this war be placed on a new basis of right... First, it must offer a security that a war of revenge cannot occur again on any side.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > mutual relation of parts to whole > fastening > condition of being fast bound or firmly fixed > [noun] > means of fixing securely
anchor1410
fixture1791
security1791
retainer1820
fixator1874
1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse §211 The utility of trenails as a security till the mortar was become hard.
1808 W. Nicholson Dict. Pract. & Theoret. Chem. at Cement Powdered quicklime..is often used by coppersmiths, to lay over the rivets and edges of the sheets of copper in large boilers, as a security to the junctures.
9. Originally Military.
a. Measures taken to safeguard the interests of a state or organization against threat; in early use spec. the maintenance of secrecy or cover. Hence more generally: any checks and procedures intended to keep a person, place, or thing secure and to prevent criminal activity, illegal entrance or escape, etc.; (concrete) the area or place in which such checks are conducted. Cf. sense 2b.See also security check n.maximum security, minimum security, etc.: see the first element.
ΚΠ
1942 Ld. Alanbrooke Diary 27 Feb. in War Diaries (2001) 234 After lunch went to see the army film on security.
1945 E. Waugh Brideshead Revisited 10 Our new commanding officer was making an unusual display of ‘security’.
1948 Bull. Atomic Scientists Sept. 279/1 It [sc. the Atomic Energy Commission] would have charge of its own security.
1957 Economist 21 Sept. 912/2 The officious display of security, the floodlamps and police dogs that surrounded the campaign train.
1961 R. Seth Anat. Spying v. 83 In the spy's vocabulary, Security means doing nothing that is likely to reveal his clandestine rôle.
1976 Daily Tel. 20 July 2/3 Security at places like the airport is always under review.
1989 V. Glendinning Grown-ups vii. 92 He was thinking about what he should get in the duty-free shop once he was through security.
1994 New Scientist 24 Dec. 7/1 Tight security will surround..trials of a lethal virus that Australia hopes to unleash on its population of wild rabbits.
2006 Wired June 190/2 In Iraq, he explains, the troops will be primarily providing security for convoys.
b. Sometimes with capital initial. A department responsible for guarding an organization against criminal activity, unauthorized access, etc. Also (originally U.S.): the members of such a department collectively.Cf. earlier security guard, security police, etc., at Compounds.
ΚΠ
1955 Bull. Atomic Scientists Apr. 130/2 The threat of espionage must be assessed for what it is, and countermeasures taken by security.
1965 M. Allingham Mind Readers vi. 59 I thought that might have been what Security told you when they sent for you.
1971 P. Harmon in M. B. Kapfer Behavioral Objectives Curriculum Devel. v. 255 In case of an accident in the shop... the student should tell the instructor so he can call security.
1995 DJ 6 July 47/2 First, the security were all dicks. The line was so long, it was held in a roller rink.
2000 I. Rankin Beggars Banquet (2002) 306 The Santa suit had worked a treat... No one from security asking him who he was.
Phrases
P1.
Act of Security n. now historical an act passed by the Scottish Parliament in 1704 excluding Queen Anne's successor from the throne of Scotland unless Scottish grievances over religion, liberty, and trade were redressed.
ΚΠ
1704 W. Nicolson Diary 10 Dec. in London Diaries (1985) 248 The Letters written into Scotland..which influenced the Revolution-Party to come into the Measures of the Act of Security.
1798 T. Somerville Hist. Great Brit. xii. 274 Their [sc. the agents']..most vigorous exertions were employed for promoting the act of security in Scotland.
1851 Times 5 June 2/6 It was utterly impossible to devise any educational system for Scotland which would not have the effect of infringing on the Act of Security.
1997 J. Cannon in Oxf. Compan. Brit. Hist. at Security, Act of The Scottish Act of Security was, paradoxically, an important step towards Union... [because it] left the Scottish succession to be resolved by Parliament later.
P2. a false sense (also feeling) of security: an illusory feeling of safety or confidence, esp. one brought about by some deception; now frequently in to lull (a person) into a false sense of security.
ΚΠ
1807 Cabinet 1 192 The apprehension of immediate danger no longer tends to correct these faults, and they may, by a false sense of security, be fatally confirmed.
1825 D. Russell Lett. Pract. & Consolatory (ed. 3) II. 179 To lull the heart into a false feeling of security, while indulging in impenitence and unbelief.
1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 24/1 (advt.) Don't let carelessness or a false feeling of security give dangerous pyorrhea a chance to fasten itself in your mouth.
1971 Daily Tel. 14 Sept. 2/6 A false sense of security which makes drivers behave quite differently on motorways than on ordinary roads.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 4 June 28/4 Expensive savings packages, offering bogus certainty and illusory diversification, have lulled many savers into a false sense of security.
P3. Law (see sense 5).
a. to take security: to take property as security for a debt, etc. †to take security of (a person): to take property as surety of someone fulfilling an obligation (obsolete).
ΚΠ
1611 Bible (King James) Acts xvii. 9 And when they had taken securitie of Iason, and of the other, they let them goe. View more context for this quotation
1681 E. Andros in E. O′Callaghan Documents Colonial Hist. N.-Y. (1853) III. 309 The p'son that letts to ffarme..is obliged to take security or becomes lyable himselfe.
1797 Monthly Mag. 3 550/1 Where special bail is required, the sheriff may take security of the defendant, by bond,..for his appearance.
1891 N. Amer. Rev. 152 411 He neglected, however, to take security for the loan, which was never repaid till 1833.
1918 Pacific Reporter 172 577 The negligence of the defendant in failing to take security for money which he had loaned for the plaintiff.
2002 Oxf. Compan. High Court Austral. (Electronic text) Garcia concerned the circumstances in which equity would allow a lender to take security for a loan from someone related to the borrower.
b. to put in security: to put up property as security. to be put in security: to be bound by security. Now chiefly historical.
ΚΠ
1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) 96 Putt in good securitye to fynde out Watson by Monday come sen-night..To remayne in prison untell he putt in securitye here.
1751 C. Viner Gen. Abridgm. Law & Equity (new ed.) XIX. 299 A trustee to put in security for money and damages.
1890 Southeastern Reporter 11 645 The defendants' right of nonsuit depended upon failure of the plaintiff to put in security of costs in his case by the 18th October, 1886.
1945 B. Niles James (rev. ed.) iv. 71 In addition to punishment for the offense itself, the father was put in security for the support of the bastard child.
1987 J. Boulton Neighbourhood & Society x. 274 The responsibility of the parish clerk for handling church fees meant that he was required to put in security for £40 to be forfeited if he performed his duties dishonestly.
c. to find security = to give security at Phrases 3e. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1651 W. G. tr. J. Cowell Inst. Lawes Eng. 274 He who kills Deere, and cannot finde security to put in for the payment of the Fine imposed, is compelled to abjure the Common-wealth.
1712 J. Arbuthnot Law is Bottomless-pit iii. 7 You must find sufficient Security to us, our Heirs and Assigns, that you will not employ Lewis Baboon.
1831 W. Scott Abbot (new ed.) II. xiv. 265 (note) A broken clan was one who had no chief able to find security for their good behaviour.
1880 J. Paterson Liberty of Press x. 226 Wilkes was ordered to find security for good behaviour for seven years.
1997 Times (Nexis) 11 Feb. It was competent for a limited company to be ordered to find security for expenses at common law as a condition precedent to its being allowed to lodge answers to a petition.
d. to enter (†in or †into) security: to enter an arrangement or contract whereby property is pledged as security. Now rare.
ΚΠ
1659 T. Burton Diary (1828) IV. 6 I move that he enter security. The person complaining, is a person of as great worth as any person can be.
1670 in Minutes Town Courts Newtown (1940) 252 The Judgment of the Court that Georg Wood shall enter in security for the keeping his peace for a yere & a day.
1724 J. Swift Some Observ. Wood's Half-pence 24 Knox..was obliged..to enter into Security for so doing.
1890 Southern Reporter 9 513/2 The order requiring the plaintiffs to enter security for costs upon the ground that they were non-residents of this state.
1908 Lancaster Law Rev. 20 4 The contractor was required to enter security for the faithful performance of his contract.
e. to give (also †give in ) security: to put up property as security.
ΚΠ
1669 S. Pepys Diary 5 Mar. (1976) IX. 470 Being this day summoned..to give in security for his good behaviour.
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1690) Pref. Those who can give good Security, may have Money under the Statute-Interest.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 284. ⁋6 She shall give Security for her peaceable Intentions.
1883 Act 46 & 47 Vict. c. 52 §21 (2) The person so appointed shall give security in manner prescribed to the satisfaction of the Board of Trade.
1999 Belfast Tel. (Nexis) 2 Nov. Companies suing can be required to give security for legal costs.
f. to go security: to act as security for someone.
ΚΠ
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man i. 2 It was but last week he went security for a fellow whose face he scarce knew.
a1910 ‘M. Twain’ Autobiography (2010) I. 62 He did the friendly office of ‘going security’ for Ira —.
1999 F. Allen Jefferson Davis iii. 49 Still owing some two thousand dollars on land he had bought in 1820, he went security for his daughter Pollie's husband.
g. to stand security: see stand v. 10b.
P4.
security of tenure n. (a) the (legal) right to continue to occupy or hold a position, job, land, etc.; (b) spec. (British Law) the statutory right of a tenant to remain in occupation of a dwelling provided the conditions of the tenancy are met.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > [noun] > security of right
surety1442
security of tenure?1760
?1760 J. Shebbeare Hist. Excellence & Decline Sumatrans I. i. 17 Without this Security of Tenure every Man ennobled would have bartered Liberty for a Name.
1837 Fraser's Mag. Jan. 53/1 The ‘Big Beggarman’ has never sought to regulate the rents, to give the peasant security of tenure,..or any other measure their many necessities urgently require.
1891 J. M. Vincent State & Federal Govt. in Switzerland v. 57 The honor attached to a cabinet office and the reasonable security of tenure have been sufficient to draw out an eminently respectable class of men who have served their country well.
1912 Times 16 Jan. 7/6 Under that Act the yearly tenants are heavily rented and have no security of tenure.
1931 Wisconsin State Jrnl. 7 Feb. 2/1 The entire problem..is vitally related..to the problem of security of tenure as it affects academic freedom.
1980 Third Way June 24/2 The legislation passing through Parliament giving security of tenure to council tenants is to be welcomed.
2004 H. Kennedy Just Law (2005) xi. 233 If security of tenure is to be removed, employers should be required to provide retraining and educational opportunities for staff at workplace learning centres or supported local colleges.
2008 Morning Star (Nexis) 3 Sept. The money..could be spent on building the homes that people really need, with affordable rents and security of tenure.
Compounds
C1. With sense ‘of or relating to (the maintenance of) security in military, penal, civil, and commercial contexts’ (see senses 2b and 9).
a. Of a fixture or device: that assists, is used for, or ensures security, as security camera, security door, security fence, security gate, security lock, security van, etc. Also of an area so protected, as security wing.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > imprisonment > prison > [noun] > doors
prison doorc1330
security door1904
1904 A. Griffiths Fifty Years Public Service xvii. 232 The locks everywhere, to cells, passages, and in external or ‘security’ doors [were] of the newest and most approved pattern.
1959 Times 5 Mar. 20 (caption) A security van on street patrol.
1963 Security Gaz. 5 187/2 The main innovation at Blundeston is the 12 ft. high security fence.
1968 Rep. Work Prison Dept. 6 in Parl. Papers 1967–8 (Cmnd. 3774) XXXI. 57 The use of special security wings to house prisoners who require the strictest security.
1970 G. F. Newman Sir, You Bastard vii. 198 An attack on a security van.
1976 ‘M. Albrand’ Taste of Terror xviii. 107 I'm going to..put security locks on every door in the house.
1976 Evening Times (Glasgow) 1 Dec. 3/6 A key that was missing would let anyone escape from the block into the grounds—but it wouldn't let them out of the security gates.
1985 Weekly World News 1 Jan. 11/1 Security cameras were installed to stop vandalism.
1990 World Outside: Career Guide 21/2 If the security alarms start ringing at 2.00 a.m. the police will call you to go to the store.
2008 Daily Tel. 1 Jan. 21/2 Britain is already the most self-watching country in the world, with the largest network of security cameras.
b. Of a person or organization: charged with the maintenance of (national, local, or personal) security, as security force, security officer, etc.Earliest in security service n. at Compounds 2; see also security guard n. at Compounds 2, security police n. at Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1940 Hutchinson's Pict. Hist. War 4 Feb.–9 Apr. 180 It was quiet on the island at first, the Nazis believing the raiders to be just another security patrol.
1945 Daily Express 4 June 1/1 A double check is being made by security officers on the three Belfast-Dublin trains that stop at Goraghwood daily for Customs examination.
1963 A. Douglas-Home in Hansard Commons 686 859 If we were to set up a Standing Security Commission, I think, first, that it should have a judicial chairman.
1965 D. Francis Odds Against ix. 135 [We] could arrange for some sort of guard on the course. Security patrols, that kind of thing.
1973 Times 15 May 12/6 Britain's involvement in Northern Ireland was real and earnest, as the security forces knew.
2004 Independent (Compact ed.) 1 Apr. 8/2 The badge messengers, the security officers for the Commons.
c. Of a procedure, measure, etc.: intended to ensure (national or international) security, as security clearance, security measure, security pact, security rating, etc.See also Security Council n. at Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1925 Times 2 Sept. 11/4 The jurists..are discussing the technical details of the proposed Security Pact at the Foreign Office.
1933 Times 8 Mar. 13/3 Security Pact for Europe.
1945 News Rev. 10 May 9 The security black-out will be lifted to enable us to print some details about the nation's war effort.
1952 Ann. Reg. 1951 424 There were renewed expressions of disquiet from scientists about the encroachment of security measures on personal freedom of speech and action.
1963 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 2 Dec. (1970) 13 Dr. Henry Smyth, the lone dissenter in the..decision when Dr. Oppenheimer lost his security clearance.
1963 L. Deighton Horse under Water xxi. 94 Act grown-up or I'll cut your security rating back.
1976 H. Tracy Death in Reserve xv. 118 It's your red area security pass.
1980 B. MacLaverty Lamb (1981) xvi. 139 For security reasons they had been rerouted round the fringes of towns.
1989 Air Internat. Feb. 103/1 The out-of-sequence..designation..has presumably been adopted as part of the security screen thrown up round the aircraft.
2004 Chicago Tribune (Midwest ed.) 9 July i. 4/2 On Wednesday, Iraqi officials unveiled a host of tough security measures aimed at quelling the insurgency.
d. Forming adjectives, as security-conscious, security-minded, etc.; also forming nouns, as security-mindedness.
ΚΠ
1943 J. H. Fullarton Troop Target 26 ‘If you ask me,’ said Quigg, ‘this Fifth Column palaver is mostly propaganda to make us security-minded.’
1955 I. Fleming Moonraker xv. 149 Drax..seemed to be meticulously security-conscious.
1955 M. Gilbert Sky High v. 69 The Inspector's tone implied exactly what he thought about the security-mindedness of County Councillors.
1976 ‘M. Barak’ Secret List Heinrich Roehm i. iv. 46 The Israelis are going to be much more security-minded now.
1993 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 14 Aug. a1/4 Every credit-card purchase casts a shadow. So does each entry into a security-minded workplace or store.
2006 Independent 28 Dec. (Extra section) 6/4 In today's security-conscious airport environment, carrying a suitcase full of porn DVDs puts you at risk of ridicule.
C2. † security-grinder n. Obsolete an assiduous deviser of securities or guarantees.Only in or with reference to the speeches of George Canning (1770–1827), British prime minister, who used the phrase in response to demands for ‘securities’ and safeguards by opponents of Catholic Emancipation during the Emancipation debates.
security analyst n. (also securities analyst) Finance (originally U.S.) a person who analyses information about (the value of) securities (see sense 5e).
ΚΠ
1912 World's Work (advt.) We offer the public the services of our Financial Research Department, of its statistical library and files, and of expert security analysts, whose opinions we guarantee are unbiased.
1961 ‘E. Lathen’ Banking on Death iii. 22 One of Robichaux and Devane's security analysts was leaving the firm.
2000 Rev. Financial Econ. (Nexis) 9 A constant question investors face is: Does the past performance of security analysts merit the compensation they receive?
security bolt n. (a) a bolt used to securely close a door, window, etc.; (b) a device for securing a car tyre to the rim of the wheel.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > means of travel > a conveyance > vehicle > vehicles according to means of motion > vehicle moving on wheels > [noun] > parts of vehicle moving on wheels > wheel > rubber or pneumatic tyre > bolt securing tyre to rim
security bolt1903
1851 Official Descriptive & Illustr. Catal. Great Exhib. IV. 1217/2 A door with the application of a security bolt on a new system.
1903 Motoring Ann. 304 Fig. 2 shows the security bolt in the act of pinching the inner tube.
1988 Sydney Morning Herald (Nexis) 26 May 2 Windows should have key-operated security bolts.
2001 L. Cuesta Once xi. 87 They dragged her limp body to a door at the front of the shed, and one of them unlatched the security bolt.
2008 Loughborough Echo (Nexis) 28 Nov. 76 The security mechanism on the hub has..spring-mounted security bolts, which Porsche is hoping will be foolproof against thieves.
security bond n. (a) chiefly Law security (sense 5) put up as a bond, recognizance, or guarantee of good behaviour; (b) Finance (usually in plural) a bond or debenture secured by property or assets.
ΚΠ
1692 L. Braddon Murther will Out 8/1 I was..kept Prisoner till November 1688 when..I gave ten Guineas for my Security-bonds, and so made my escape.
1721 in J. Perry Acct. Stopping Daggenham Breach 131 That the Security Bonds shall be deliver'd up to be cancell'd, when the Conditions are perform'd.
1826 Niles' Weekly Reg. 24 June 310/2 The act creates a wide distinction, between the general bond and that denominated the security bond.
1916 In Transit 25 37/1 Embraced in this property investment is that of $65457.99 in real estate property in Detroit and $30000 of security bonds.
2005 R. Shotton Deep Sea 2003 v. 376 The vessel, fishing equipment, catch and crew were released on the posting of a security bond in May 1998.
Security Council n. (in full United Nations Security Council; also U.N. Security Council) a council of the United Nations (established 1945: see United Nations n.) charged with maintaining international peace and security and having fifteen member states, of which five (China, France, Britain, the United States, and Russia) are permanent and have the power of veto, the others being elected for two-year terms.
ΚΠ
1944 Times 10 Oct. 5/6 Tentative proposals have been made for the establishment of a general international organization under the title of The United Nations. The proposals..deal with..its principal organs, including a General Assembly, a Security Council, and an International Court of Justice.
1968 Security Council Proc. Czechoslovakia 3 in Parl. Papers 1967–8 (Cmnd. 3757) XLII. 229 The Security Council met..on 21st August. After protracted debate, the Council agreed to the inscription of the item on Czechoslovakia on its agenda.
1989 M. Mathabane Kaffir Boy in Amer. (1990) v. 37 I was jubilant to read that the United Nations Security Council had finally adopted Resolution 435, detailing a plan for Namibian independence.
1992 Washington Times (Nexis) 4 Aug. f2 The ANC leader has recently returned from the United States, where he addressed the U.N. Security Council.
2004 H. Kennedy Just Law (2005) ii. 61 The débâcle in the Security Council of the United Nations over the war in Iraq.
ΚΠ
1827 G. Canning Speech 6 Mar. (1828) VI. 155 I assure my right honourable friend..that I am perfectly ready to vote for securities; but I am not to be set down as a security-grinder.
1828 Ld. Holland in R. Wyatt Deb. Both Houses (1829) 127 Should any security-grinder, as they have been termed,..endeavour to transfer it [sc. the bill]..from office to seats of Parliament..I should earnestly and strenuously resist it.
1844 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Apr. 259/2 We are not going to be mystified with any show of compromise or half-way concession... The Catholic-priest-endowment men, the ‘security-grinders’ of all sorts and degrees are left without a hope.
security guard n. a person employed to safeguard the state against espionage, terrorism, illegal entry, etc.; a number or body of these; (also) a person employed to protect the security of a person, building, etc.
ΚΠ
1920 Times 20 Mar. 17/8 The car in which the officers..were seated was ordered to halt by the Security Guard.
1955 Earl Winterton Fifty Tumultuous Years 74 He had no aide-de-camp with him, no ‘security guard’ and no police escort, not even a groom.
1963 Stevens Point (Wisconsin) Daily Jrnl. 13 Sept. 4 The phrase..‘rent-a-cop’—applied to security guards used at the newspaper plant during the labor dispute.
1984 L. Deighton Mexico Set i. 12 One of the security guards—a big poker-faced man in starched khakis and carefully-polished high boots—came to watch us.
2001 D. Mitchell Number 9 Dream 39 I am a security guard. I am not a receptionist. I am employed to keep time-wasters, salesmen and assorted scum out.
security hole n. Computing a software flaw which allows an unauthorized user to gain access to a system or network.
ΚΠ
1971 B. Beizer Archit. & Engin. Digital Computer Complexes II. ix. 523 A common security hole exists in many systems because of improper cleanup of memory.
1985 Computerworld (Nexis) 8 July 1 In reaction to threats from hackers or as part of evolving product lines, vendors have filled some security holes in their products.
2009 N.Y. Times (Nexis) 26 Mar. b7 Previous versions of I.E. were slow, prone to crashing, pockmarked with security holes, and lacked many useful features.
security man n. (a) a person who puts up property as security or stands surety for someone (now rare); †(b) a person who seeks ‘securities’ or guarantees, esp. regarding Catholic Emancipation (obsolete); (c) a security guard (now the usual sense).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > watching or keeping guard > [noun] > one who watches or keeps guard
warda680
wakemanc1175
wardena1250
watchc1380
watchmana1400
outwatch1488
warderc1540
sentinel1579
perdu1639
sentry1650
lookout1662
security man1662
guardman1756
excubitor1775
cockatoo1827
guardsmana1854
dog1870
the mind > language > speech > agreement > security > [noun] > a bondsman or guarantor
borrowa1000
festermanOE
inborghc1175
pledge1348
surety1428
warrant1478
soverty1517
creditor1523
cautionerc1565
warranter1583
caution1586
warranty1586
security1600
stipulator1610
engager1611
pawner1611
undertaker1616
bond1632
ensurer1654
cautionary1655
security man1662
voucher1667
warrantee1668
respondent1672
guarand1674
guarantee1679
guaranty1684
hypothecator1828
warrantor1850
guarantor1853
1662 Life & Death Mrs. Mary Frith 118 At last up comes the Grave Seignior with his two security men, and release the Gentleman, making him count over the Mony again.
1815 in J. P. Slack Amer. Orator 359 I know well, there are still some security-men, a set of beings whom nothing could convince.
1913 R. T. Bryan Two Years' Study Chinese Lang. I. 77 Please teacher be my guarantee, because not having a security man I cannot do that business.
1959 Times Lit. Suppl. 27 Mar. 182/2 Ministers, Civil servants and security men buzzing round the graceless tycoon who is producing a new bomber.
2005 Guardian (Nexis) 26 Sept. (Sport section) 7 We had seen two villains..led away, under protestation, by three burly security men.
security police n. a police organization, esp. a secret one, charged with the protection of national security and often having extended powers.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > political police > [noun]
political police1833
security police1915
G-man1917
thought police1934
1915 R. B. Fosdick European Police Syst. i. 23 By the middle of the eighteenth century the scope of police activity had been narrowed roughly to two main lines, the so-called security police (Sicherheitspolizei) and the welfare police (Wohlfahrtspolizei).
1975 A. A. Thompson Message from Absolom iii. 17 Security police carrying rifles.
2001 A. Dangor Bitter Fruit (2004) v. 53 Those who had been broken by the security police and could not help being traitors [to their comrades].
security risk n. originally U.S. a person or thing which poses a possible threat to safety or security; spec. a person (originally one holding an official position) regarded as potentially threatening to the security of a state or organization because of her or his political beliefs, personal habits, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > [noun] > risk > risk to security
security risk1948
1948 Amer. Polit. Sci. Rev. 42 498 Dismissal of ten State Department employees as ‘security risks’.
1975 Radio Times 2 Aug. 43/3 He was accused of being a ‘security risk’ because of his early Communist associations.
1981 Winnipeg Free Press 6 June 159/1 Sliding patio doors are always a security risk.
1996 Minx Nov. 139/3 We were classed as a ‘security risk’, which was a bit rich, considering we'd handed ourselves in.
2006 Computer Weekly 1 Aug. 20/4 Skype can be a potential security risk because it opens an encrypted tunnel across a network.
security service n. (sometimes in plural) any of various national organizations charged with the maintenance of security; spec. in Britain (usually with capital initials) the official name for MI5 (see MI5 n. at M n. Initialisms 1).
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society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > political police > [noun] > secret service or police
secret service1737
intelligence department1794
secret police1823
security service1918
S.S.1933
S.I.S.1939
intel1961
trade1966
society > law > law enforcement > police force or the police > political police > [noun] > secret service or police > British
Special Branch1883
security service1918
MI5?1921
MI6?1921
firm1952
the Circus1963
S.B.1964
six1969
1918 Rep. Indian Constit. Reform i. i. 10 in Parl. Papers 8 Their assumption that British responsibility for India requires a preponderating proportion of British officers in the security services did not commend itself to many Indian critics.
1940 H. Koehler Inside Gestapo ii. 30 Heydrich's power is much more founded on the Security Service of the Reich Fuehrer S.S...than on the Gestapo.
1951 N. Brook in Ld. Denning's Rep. 79 in Parl. Papers 1962–3 (Cmnd. 2152) XXIV. 349 I recommend that the Security Service should in future be responsible to the Home Secretary.
1976 H. Wilson Governance of Brit. ix. 167 Until 1952 the Prime Minister was directly responsible for the security service.
2008 Guardian 2 Feb. (Guide Suppl.) 93/3 A disquieting documentary that reveals increasing intolerance and an Islamisation within Egypt's security services.
security system n. (a) (esp. in Hong Kong) a system whereby a local merchant stands as surety for foreign traders to ensure good conduct and payment of debts (now historical); (b) any system put in place to ensure or maintain the security of a person or thing; spec. an electronic system designed to detect and warn of intruders in a house, building, etc.
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society > trade and finance > other trading methods > [noun]
fair trading1685
grocery1689
carriage trade1720
sale or (formerly and) return1795
Labour Exchange1828
security system1831
smousingc1876
postal trade1902
triangular trade1934
switch trading1967
relationship management1970
p-y-o1977
counter-trade1978
pick-your-own1980
counter-trading1983
fair trade1986
carry trade1994
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > warning of imminent danger or evil > [noun] > warning arousing the unwary > device for sounding alarm > of burglars
security system1831
burglar-alarm1840
1831–2 Rep. Sel. Comm. East India Co. Affairs App. 481 in Parl. Papers X. ii There would be no interference on the part of the government or the people with persons going for the purposes of trade, except such interference as is by law established; for instance, being obliged to conform to the security system.
1945 Rotarian May 6/2 Provision was made in this security system for consultation when there is reason to believe that aggression is planned.
1985 Globe & Mail (Canada) (Nexis) 14 Aug. Rose's security system sounded one night while her fiance was out of town.
1997 M. Fabi Wyrm xiii. 363 Manipulating the security system the way he had would almost certainly be limited to superusers.
1998 J. A. G. Roberts Mod. China i. 21 The Hong merchants..devised a security system whereby individual hongs took responsibility for the behaviour and debts of foreign traders.
2008 M. Putzer Winter's Rage ix. 41 In all the time that Jack and Debra had the house the security system went off only twice in seven years.
security writ n. a writ (writ n. 4) relating to or backed by security.
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1880 Sc. Law Reporter 17 77/1 To exhibit and produce in process..the bond, stock certificate, debenture, or other security writ that may be obtained by them for the sum to be so lent out and invested.
1908 Carnegie Trust Universities Scotl.: Interim Rep. 61 I have examined and audited the Accounts... The Security Writs have been exhibited to me.
2006 Gazeta Mercantil (Brazil) (Nexis) 12 Apr. Novartis itself also secured a security writ, awaiting the decision of the courts.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2011; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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