# lock

Pronunciation: say "LOK" US /lɑk/, UK /lɒk/

## Verb

1. To secure something by means of a lock.
   - Simple: To fasten something with a lock so others cannot open it or take it away.
   - _Remember to lock the car when you park downtown._
   - _The guard locks the gates every night at ten._
3. To become fastened or held firmly in place.
   - Simple: To snap into place and become held there firmly.
   - _The car doors lock automatically once the engine starts._
   - _Her knees locked after she stood still for hours._
4. To fit or join parts together so they interlock and hold firmly in place.
   - Simple: To join two things together tightly so they hold and will not slip apart.
   - _The dancers locked their arms and spun together across the floor._
   - _Carpenters lock the boards at their edges so the joint cannot pull apart._
10. To set an online thread or page so that users can no longer post to it or edit it.
   - Simple: To stop people from adding to or changing an online post or page.
   - _Admins lock threads that violate the community rules._
   - _She locked the post once the question had been answered._
15. To raise or lower a boat by means of a canal lock.
   - Simple: To move a boat up or down by using a canal lock.
   - _They locked the narrowboat up to the next reach of the canal._
   - _Operators lock vessels through the system around the clock._
16. In street dance, to freeze the body or a part of it abruptly in place.
   - Simple: In dance, to suddenly stop your body and hold still for a moment.
   - _She locks mid-spin and holds the pose for a full count._
   - _The dancers lock in unison the moment the music cuts out._
17. To play in the rugby position of lock, in the second row of the scrum.
   - Simple: To play as a lock in rugby, in the row behind the front of the scrum.
   - _He has locked for the side since his university days._
   - _They lock in the second row whenever the coach needs more height._

## Noun

2. A fastening device that can be opened only with a key or combination.
   - Simple: A device that keeps a door, box, or gate shut until you open it with a key or code.
   - _The old chest had a rusty lock that no one could open._
   - _Modern locks often use electronic keypads instead of metal keys._
5. A gated section of a canal or waterway used to raise and lower boats between different levels.
   - Simple: A part of a canal with gates that raise or lower boats between water levels.
   - _The narrowboat entered the lock as the gates slowly closed._
   - _Canal locks let vessels climb steep changes in elevation._
6. A fastening or interlacing of one thing upon another, or a state of being fixed and immovable.
   - Simple: A tight joining of one thing onto another so it cannot move.
   - _Once the clamp tightened, the two pipes were held in a firm lock that would not budge._
   - _The two pieces met in a firm lock once pressed together._
7. A tuft, curl, or small bunch of hair, wool, hay, or similar fibers.
   - Simple: A small bunch of hair, or of wool or hay.
   - _A stray lock of hair kept falling into his eyes._
   - _The shearer set aside a lock of fine wool for spinning._
8. Something certain to succeed or happen, or a firm hold that makes an outcome certain, as in 'a lock on the vote'.
   - Simple: Something sure to win or happen, or firm control that makes a result certain.
   - _Analysts called the merger a lock weeks before it closed._
   - _She's considered a lock for the promotion._
9. A grappling hold in wrestling that immobilizes an opponent or part of their body.
   - Simple: A tight hold in wrestling that traps part of an opponent's body.
   - _The wrestler clamped a lock on his opponent's arm until the referee stopped the bout._
   - _A well-timed lock can pin even a much stronger competitor._
11. In rugby, a player positioned in the scrum behind the front row, usually one of the tallest on the team.
   - Simple: In rugby, a tall player who stands in the scrum behind the front row.
   - _The lock soared above the pack to claim the lineout throw._
   - _At nearly two meters tall, she was the obvious choice at lock._
12. A mechanism, such as a mutex, that controls access to a shared computing resource so that processes or threads cannot use it in conflicting ways, often by granting exclusive access.
   - Simple: A control in a computer system that stops programs from using the same file or data in ways that clash.
   - _The database acquires a lock before updating the record and releases it once the write finishes._
   - _If a thread never releases its lock, the others may wait indefinitely._
13. The mechanism of a firearm that ignites the charge and discharges the weapon.
   - Simple: The part of a gun that makes it fire.
   - _The gunsmith repaired the lock on an antique flintlock pistol._
   - _A misfire occurred when the lock failed to strike a spark._
14. A device fitted to a wheel to prevent it from turning.
   - Simple: A device that stops a wheel from turning.
   - _Traffic officers fixed a lock to the wheel of the illegally parked van._
   - _Wheel locks are often used to immobilize cars with unpaid fines._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A place from which escape is impossible, as if held shut by a lock.
- (verb) To seize an opponent's sword arm by winding one's own arm around it, forcing them to drop the weapon.
- (verb) To equip a canal with locks for raising and lowering boats.
- (noun) Synonym of Dutch book: a set of bets placed at odds that guarantee a profit whatever the result.
- (noun) In old Scots usage, a quantity of meal allowed to a mill-servant as a customary payment or perquisite.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–6, 8–17** — The noun descends from Middle English 'lok' and Old English 'loc', going back to Proto-Germanic *luką and ultimately Proto-Indo-European *lewg- ('to bend, turn'). It is related to words meaning 'hole' or 'lid' in languages like German ('Loch'), Dutch ('lok'), and Danish ('låg'). The verb comes from Old English 'lucan', from Proto-Germanic *lūkaną, and is cognate with Dutch 'luiken' and Danish 'lukke' ('to close, shut').
**Meaning 7** — Old English 'locc' ('hair, lock of hair, curl') became Middle English 'lok', and the line runs back through Proto-Germanic *lukkaz to Proto-Indo-European *lewg- ('to bend'). Dutch 'lok', German 'Locke', and Swedish 'lock' ('lock of hair, curl') are related words, and some have suggested a possible link to a Gothic verb meaning 'to curb'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/lock (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).