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safe·ty

(sāftē)

n. pl. safe·ties

1. The condition of being safe; freedom from danger, risk, or injury.

2. A device designed to prevent accidents, as a lock on a firearm preventing accidental firing.

3. Football

a. A play in which a member of the offensive team downs the ball or is tackled or forced out of bounds behind his own goal line, resulting in two points for the defensive team.

b. Either of two defensive backs normally positioned behind the linebackers in the middle of the backfield.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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