secure
Definitions
General English
- adjective firmly fixed
- verb to be successful in getting something important
Accounting
- adjective safe, which cannot change
Aviation
- verb to attach firmly, to fasten or to make safe
Banking
- verb to get something safely into your control
Electronics
- Safe from unauthorized use, access, interception, monitoring, or the like. For example, secure communications. Also, to ensure such security.
- Not presenting a safety hazard.
- Not likely to fail or malfunction.
Law
- adjective safe from danger or harm
- adjective firmly fastened or held
Military
- adjective properly attached or fastened
- adjective locked or otherwise protected against theft
- verb to capture or otherwise take possession of a location, and prepare it for defence
- verb to make sure that something happens
Origin & History of “secure”
Something that is secure is etymologically ‘carefree’. The word was borrowed from Latin sēcūrus, a compound adjective formed from the prefix sē- ‘without’ and cūra ‘care’ (source of English curate, cure, etc). The metaphorical extension from ‘free from care’ to ‘free from danger, safe’ took place in post-Augustan Latin. Sure is in effect a telescoped version of secure.
