safe

English

Etymology

From Middle English sauf, safe, saf, saaf, from Old French sauf, saulf, salf (“safe”), from Latin salvus (“whole, safe”), from Proto-Italic *salwos, from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“whole, every”). Displaced native Old English sicor (secure, sure).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sāf, IPA^(key): /seɪf/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪf
• Hyphenation: safe

Adjective

safe (comparative safer or more safe, superlative safest or most safe)

1. Not in danger; out of harm's reach.

   You’ll be safe here.

2. Free from risk.

   Synonyms: riskless, harmless

   Antonyms: harmful, dangerous

   It’s safe to eat this.

   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.

3. Providing protection from danger; providing shelter.

   We have to find a safe spot, where we can hide out until this is over.

4. (baseball) When a batter successfully reaches first base, or when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base or returns to the base he last occupied; not out.

   The pitcher attempted to pick off the runner at first, but he was safe.

5. (snooker, of an object ball) In a location that renders it difficult to pot.
6. Properly secured.

   Synonym: secure

   Hyponyms: binary-safe, fail-safe, thread-safe, type-safe

   The documents are safe.

7. (used after a noun, often forming a compound) Not susceptible to a specified source of harm.

   dishwasher-safe

8. (UK, slang) Great, cool, awesome, respectable; a term of approbation, often as interjection.

   Synonyms: wicked, cool; see also Thesaurus:awesome

   • 1996 August 12, "Mandrake", “Re: Multiple Messages - an apology”, in uk.people.gothic‎ (Usenet):

     and you also forgot to mentioned the wheels man you know bmw playing / ragga jungle hip hop tunes / and on the mobile / yeah safe! / nice one / later

   • 1996 or 1997, Roy Williams, Plays 1: The No Boys Cricket Club / Startstruck / Lift Off‎, Methuen, published 2002, →ISBN, page 165:

     Young Mal: Yu can’t. Irie means yer cool, yer safe, everything awright.

   • 2000, Teddy Hayes, Dead by Popular Demand‎, Justin, Charles & Co., published 2005, →ISBN, Chapter 14, page 134:

     “If you need more, just ring, yeah?” Punch said.
     “Safe,” Brian answered.

   • 2002, Danny Braverman, Playing a Part: Drama and Citizenship‎, Trentham Books, →ISBN, One Thursday — a short play, page 62:

     They end the call. Fami goes over to Paul. They touch hands.¶ Femi: Yeah, safe man.

   • 2013, Steve Carter, Love, Sex and Tesco's Finest Cava, →ISBN, page 169:

     “Yeah, safe mate, wassup?” says one hoodie, who should at least be credited with attempting a more detailed sentence construction.

   • 2023, Nathan Bryon, Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller, Rye Lane:

     Dom (David Jonsson): Hey, love the photos. They're just so—
     Nathan (Simon Manyonda): Safe.

9. (slang) Lenient, usually describing a teacher that is easy-going.

   Synonyms: easy-going, merciful, tolerant, lenient

   Antonyms: strict, harsh, intolerant

10. Reliable; trusty.

    Synonym: trustworthy

11. Cautious.
12. (programming) Of a programming language, type-safe or more generally offering well-defined behavior despite programming errors.

Antonyms

• unsafe

Descendants

• → Japanese: セーフ

Translations

Noun

safe (plural safes)

1. A box, usually made of metal, in which valuables can be locked for safekeeping.
2. (slang) A condom.
   • 1989 August 19, Gerard L. Ready, “Possessing A Condom Is An Offense!”, in Gay Community News, volume 17, number 6, page 4:

     Condoms ARE available, on the underground market, at the outrageous price of ten dollars a piece! Now, I do not mind paying ten bucks for a good piece, as well as some peace of mind, but even the mere possession of these 'safes' is a disciplinary offense!

   • 1999, Rita Ciresi, Pink Slip, Delta, published 1999, →ISBN, page 328:

     She'd better have an arsenal of Trojans in her purse just in case he wasn't carrying a safe in his back pocket.

3. (dated) A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects.
   • 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 29:

     The other room was a kitchen, with an open fireplace, a safe, a dresser and a tin sink, with a tap from the tank outside.

4. (dated, colloquial) A safety bicycle.

Synonyms

• (box for storing valuables): coffer, lockbox, strongbox
• (condom): see also Thesaurus:condom.

Hyponyms

• failsafe

Descendants

• → Russian: сейф (sejf)
  • → Kazakh: сейф (seif)
  • → Bulgarian: сейф (sejf)

Translations

Verb

safe (third-person singular simple present safes, present participle safing, simple past and past participle safed)

1. (transitive) To make something safe.
   • 2007, Rocky Raab, Mike Five Eight: Air War Over Cambodia: Air War Over Cambodia‎:

     “It just trails behind the pylon until I land, then Cramer removes it when he safes the rocket pods. No evidence of anything when I taxi back inside the compound.”

   • 2012, Erik Seedhouse, Interplanetary Outpost:

     One of the most important events after touchdown will be to safe the Dauntless, which will include purging the engines and shutting down the landing systems […]

Derived terms

See also

• save
• safety

References

• safe on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Further reading

• “safe”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “safe”, in The Century Dictionary , New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “safe”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• EFAs, FAEs, faes

German

Etymology

English safe, originally borrowed in the context of safe sex (safer Sex, 1980s), later generalized.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sɛɪ̯f/, /seːf/, /zeːf/

• Audio

  (file)

• Declension:
• IPA^(key): /sɛɪ̯fə/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

safe (strong nominative masculine singular safer, comparative safer, superlative am safesten)

1. safe

   Synonym: sicher

   • 2022 May 18, Leif Erik Sander, quotee, “Corona: Warum sich manche noch nicht angesteckt haben”, in Der Spiegel‎, →ISSN:

     Dass man Corona bisher nicht hatte, heißt nicht, dass man für alle Zeit safe ist.

     Just because someone hasn't had corona yet doesn't mean that they're safe forever.

Declension

Adverb

safe

1. (youth slang) definitely, absolutely, sure

   Synonyms: sicher, auf jeden Fall

   "Willst du 'nen Film gucken?" -"Safe!" ― "Wanna watch a movie?" -"Sure!"

   Ich werde es safe vergessen. ― I'll definitely forget it.

Related terms

• Safe

Further reading

• “safe”, in Online-Wortschatz-Informationssystem Deutsch (in German), Mannheim: Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, 2008–

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sáː.fé/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key):

Adverb

sāfe

1. in the morning

Middle English

Etymology 1

Adjective

safe

1. Alternative form of sauf

Preposition

safe

1. Alternative form of sauf

Conjunction

safe

1. Alternative form of sauf

Etymology 2

Verb

safe

1. (Northern) Alternative form of saven

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Brazil) -afi, (Portugal) -afɨ
• Hyphenation: sa‧fe

Verb

safe

1. inflection of safar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Romanian

Noun

safe n (plural safeuri)

1. Alternative form of seif

Declension