interlock

English

Etymology

inter- +‎ lock

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ˌɪntə(ɹ)ˈlɒk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (noun) IPA^(key): /ˈɪntə(ɹ)ˌlɒk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

interlock (third-person singular simple present interlocks, present participle interlocking, simple past and past participle interlocked)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To fit or clasp together securely.
2. To interlace.

Translations

To fit or clasp together securely

• Bulgarian: блокирам (bg) (blokiram)
• Spanish: bloqueo (es) m, traba (es) f

To interlace

• Bulgarian: свързвам (bg) (svǎrzvam), съединявам (bg) (sǎedinjavam)
• German: verschränken (de)

Noun

interlock (plural interlocks)

1. A safety device that prevents activation in unsafe conditions.

   The demonstrator couldn't figure out why the machine wouldn't work, until he remembered that there was an interlock so it wouldn't operate with the cover open.

   • 1960 February, “The first of London's new Piccadilly Line trains is delivered”, in Trains Illustrated, page 94:

     Features such as trackless doors, mercury-type door interlocks, roof-mounted door fault indicator lights, rubber window glazing, improved retractable shoegear and a modified electro-pneumatic brake system designed to facilitate maintenance and improve reliability, which have proved their worth on the prototype trains, are continued in the new stock.

Derived terms

• interlock

Translations

safety device

• German: Verriegelung (de) f
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: forrigling (no) m or f

References

• “interlock”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.