| safe | 1. Free from harm, injury, or risk; untouched or unthreatened by danger or injury; unharmed; unhurt; secure; whole; as, safe from disease; safe from storms; safe from foes. "And ye dwelled safe." "They escaped all safe all safe to land." (Acts xxvii. 44) "Established in a safe, unenvied throne." (Milton) 2. Conferring safety; securing from harm; not exposing to danger; confining securely; to be relied upon; not dangerous; as, a safe harbor; a safe bridge, etc. "The man of safe discretion." "The King of heaven hath doomed This place our dungeon, not our safe retreat." (Milton) 3. Incapable of doing harm; no longer dangerous; in secure care or custody; as, the prisoner is safe. "But Banquo's safe? Ay, my good lord, safe in a ditch he bides." (Shak) Safe hit, a hit which enables the batter to get to first base even if no error is made by the other side. 4. A place for keeping things in safety. Specifically: A strong and fireproof receptacle (as a movable chest of steel, etc, or a closet or vault of brickwork) for money, valuable papers, or the like. A ventilated or refrigerated chest or closet for securing provisions from noxious animals or insects. Synonym: Secure, unendangered, sure. Origin: OE. Sauf, F. Sauf, fr. L. Salvus, akin to salus health, welfare, safety. Cf. Salute, Salvation, Sage a plant, Save, Salvo an exception. (26 Mar 1998) |
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| safe sex | Sexual practices that limit the risk of transmitting or acquiring an infectious disease via exchanges of semen, blood, and other bodily fluids, e.g., use of a condom, mutual masturbation, and avoidance of anal intercourse. (05 Mar 2000) |
| safety | 1. The condition or state of being safe; freedom from danger or hazard; exemption from hurt, injury, or loss. "Up led by thee, Into the heaven I have presumed, An earthly guest . . . With like safety guided down, Return me to my native element." (Milton) 2. Freedom from whatever exposes one to danger or from libility to cause danger or harm; safeness; hence, the quality of making safe or secure, or of giving confidence, justifying trust, insuring against harm or loss, etc. "Would there were any safety in thy sex, That I might put a thousand sorrows off." (Beau. & Fl) 3. Preservation from escape; close custody. "Imprison him, . . . Deliver him to safety; and return." (Shak) 4. Same as Safety touchdown, below. <chemistry> Safety arch, a tube to prevent explosion, or to control delivery of gases by an automatic valvular connection with the outer air; especially, a bent funnel tube with bulbs for adding those reagents which produce unpleasant fumes or violent effervescence. Safety valve, a valve which is held shut by a spring or weight and opens automatically to permit the escape of steam, or confined gas, water, etc, from a boiler, or other vessel, when the pressure becomes too great for safety; also, sometimes, a similar valve opening inward to admit air to a vessel in which the pressure is less than that of the atmosphere, to prevent collapse. Origin: Cf. F. Sauvete. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| safety factor | <radiobiology> The number of times a field line goes around a torus the long way for each time around the short way. In a tokamak, this number is typically near unity in the centre of the plasma and between two and 6 or 8 at the edge. So-called because it helps to determine the degree of stability the plasma has against certain instabilities. The safety factor is the inverse of the rotational transform, and can be expressed mathematically as q = (r Bt)/(R Bp), where r and R are the minor and major radii of the torus, and Bt and Bp are the toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields. (17 Dec 1997) |
| safety lens | A lens that meets government specifications of impact resistance; the increased impact resistance required for safety lens's is obtained by tempering, by an ion-exchange process, or by using laminated or plastic lenses. (05 Mar 2000) |
| safety management | The development of systems to prevent accidents, injuries, and other adverse occurrences in an institutional setting. The concept includes prevention or reduction of adverse events or incidents involving employees, patients, or facilities. Examples include plans to reduce injuries from falls or plans for fire safety to promote a safe institutional environment. (12 Dec 1998) |
| safety spectacles | Spectacles which protect against ultraviolet or infrared rays or against mechanical injuries. Synonym: safety spectacles. (05 Mar 2000) |
| safety strap | <dentistry> A plastic strap which prevents a face-bow from coming loose and hurting you. (08 Jan 1998) |