Safeguard

How to spell safeguard

9 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce safeguard

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does safeguard mean?

1. verbTo protect something from harm, loss, or damage.
2. nounA measure or precaution taken to protect against harm or loss.

Safeguard in a sentence

• verb

  Strong passwords help safeguard your online accounts.

• noun

  The contract includes a safeguard against unexpected price rises.

• verb

  The new policy is designed to safeguard workers from injury.

• noun

  The smoke alarm acts as a safeguard for the whole family.

Where does safeguard come from?

Language of origin: French

This word is a compound built from the adjective 'safe' and the noun 'guard', and it entered English in the fifteenth century directly from the Old French phrase 'sauve garde', which literally meant 'safe keeping' or 'safe guarding'. The 'safe' element traces back through Old French 'sauf' to the Latin 'salvus', meaning 'unharmed' or 'whole', the same root that gives us 'salvage' and 'salvation'. The 'guard' element comes from Old French 'garder', meaning 'to watch over or protect', which itself derives from a Germanic root related to 'ward' and 'warden'. In its earliest English use a safeguard was a written guarantee of safe passage granted to a traveller, and only later did the word broaden to mean any protective measure or, as a verb, the act of keeping something secure. Because both halves are familiar everyday words spelled exactly as they sound, the compound holds no real spelling trap beyond remembering it is written as one solid word.

How the word is built

• safe (free from harm)
• guard (to protect, from Old French garder)