surety

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Archived revision by Mahagaja (talk | contribs) as of 10:10, 15 January 2020.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English surete, from Anglo-Norman seurté, from Latin sēcūritās. Equivalent to sure +‎ -ty. surety (n.) . 1300, "a guarantee, promise, pledge, an assurance," from Old French seurté "a promise, pledge, guarantee; assurance, confidence" (12c., Modern French sûreté), from Latin securitatem (nominative securitas) "freedom from care or danger, safety, security," from securus (see secure (adj.)). From late 14c. as "security, safety, stability; state of peace," also "certainty, certitude; confidence." Meaning "one who makes himself responsible for another" is from early 15c. Until 1966, the French national criminal police department was the Sûreté nationale. Doublet of security.

Pronunciation

  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "RP" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈʃʊəɹɪti/, /ˈʃɔːɹɪti/
  • Lua error in Module:parameters at line 290: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "GA" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈʃʊɹəti/, /ˈʃɝəti/

Noun

surety (countable and uncountable, plural sureties)

  1. Certainty.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Genesis xv. 13
      Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.
    • (Can we date this quote by Sir Philip Sidney and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      For the more surety they looked round about.
  2. That which makes sure; that which confirms; ground of confidence or security.
    • (Can we date this quote by John Milton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      [We] our happy state / Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds; / On other surety none.
  3. (law) A promise to pay a sum of money in the event that another person fails to fulfill an obligation.
    • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      There remains unpaid / A hundred thousand more; in surety of the which / One part of Aquitaine is bound to us.# (law) One who undertakes to pay money or perform other acts in the event that his principal fails therein.
    • (Can we date this quote?) Bible, Proverbs xi. 15
      He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it.
  4. A substitute; a hostage.
    • (Can we date this quote by William Cowper and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?), "Conversation":
      ...It happen’d on a solemn eventide, / Soon after He that was our surety died, / Two bosom friends, each pensively inclined, / The scene of all those sorrows left behind, / Sought their own village, busied as they went / In musings worthy of the great event: / They spake of Him they loved, of Him whose life, / Though blameless, had incurr’d perpetual strife, / Whose deeds had left, in spite of hostile arts, / A deep memorial graven on their hearts...
  5. Evidence; confirmation; warrant.
    • (Can we date this quote by William Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)
      She called the saints to surety, / That she would never put it from her finger, / Unless she gave it to yourself.

Translations

certainty — see certainty

See also

Anagrams

Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=surety&oldid=58423849"