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Webster 1913 Edition


Lock

Lock

(lŏk)
,
Noun.
[AS.
locc
; akin to D.
lok
, G.
locke
, OHG. loc, Icel.
lokkr
, and perh. to Gr. [GREEK] to bend, twist.]
A tuft of hair; a flock or small quantity of wool, hay, or other like substance; a tress or ringlet of hair.
These gray
locks
, the pursuivants of death.
Shakespeare

Lock

,
Noun.
[AS.
loc
inclosure, an inclosed place, the fastening of a door, fr.
lūcan
to lock, fasten; akin to OS.
lūkan
(in comp.), D.
luiken
, OHG.
lūhhan
, Icel.
lūka
, Goth.
lūkan
(in comp.); cf. Skr.
ruj
to break. Cf.
Locket
.]
1.
Anything that fastens; specifically, a fastening, as for a door, a lid, a trunk, a drawer, and the like, in which a bolt is moved by a key so as to hold or to release the thing fastened.
2.
A fastening together or interlacing; a closing of one thing upon another; a state of being fixed or immovable.
Albemarle Street closed by a
lock
of carriages.
De Quincey.
3.
A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock.
Dryden.
4.
The barrier or works which confine the water of a stream or canal.
5.
An inclosure in a canal with gates at each end, used in raising or lowering boats as they pass from one level to another; – called also
lift lock
.
6.
That part or apparatus of a firearm by which the charge is exploded;
as, a match
lock
, flint
lock
, percussion
lock
, etc.
7.
A device for keeping a wheel from turning.
8.
A grapple in wrestling.
Milton.
Detector lock
,
a lock containing a contrivance for showing whether it as has been tampered with.
Lock bay
(Canals)
,
the body of water in a lock chamber.
Lock chamber
,
the inclosed space between the gates of a canal lock.
Lock nut
.
See
Check nut
, under
Check
.
Lock plate
,
a plate to which the mechanism of a gunlock is attached.
Lock rail
(Arch.)
,
in ordinary paneled doors, the rail nearest the lock.
Lock rand
(Masonry)
,
a range of bond stone.
Knight.
Mortise lock
,
a door lock inserted in a mortise.
Rim lock
,
a lock fastened to the face of a door, thus differing from a
mortise lock
.

Lock

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Locked
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Locking
.]
1.
To fasten with a lock, or as with a lock; to make fast; to prevent free movement of;
as, to
lock
a door, a carriage wheel, a river, etc.
2.
To prevent ingress or access to, or exit from, by fastening the lock or locks of; – often with
up
;
as, to
lock
or
lock up
, a house, jail, room, trunk
. etc.
3.
To fasten in or out, or to make secure by means of, or as with, locks; to confine, or to shut in or out – often with
up
;
as, to
lock
one’s self in a room; to
lock
up the prisoners; to
lock
up one's silver; to
lock
intruders out of the house; to
lock
money into a vault; to
lock
a child in one's arms; to
lock
a secret in one's breast.
4.
To link together; to clasp closely;
as, to
lock
arms
.
Lock hand in hand.”
Shak.
5.
(Canals)
To furnish with locks; also, to raise or lower (a boat) in a lock.
6.
(Fencing)
To seize, as the sword arm of an antagonist, by turning the left arm around it, to disarm him.

Lock

,
Verb.
I.
To become fast, as by means of a lock or by interlacing;
as, the door
locks
close
.
When it
locked
none might through it pass.
Spenser.
To lock into
,
to fit or slide into;
as, they
lock into
each other
.
Boyle.

Webster 1828 Edition


Lock

LOCK

,
Noun.
[L. floccus, Eng. lock.]
1.
Lock, in its primary sense, is any thing that fastens; but we now appropriate the word to an instrument composed of a spring, wards, and a bolt of iron or steel, used to fasten doors, chests and the like. The bolt is moved by a key.
2.
The part of a musket or fowling-piece or other fire-arm, which contains the pan, trigger, &c.
3.
The barrier or works of a canal, which confine the water, consisting of a dam, banks or walls, with two gates or pairs of gates, which may be opened or shut at pleasure.
4.
A grapple in wrestling.
5.
Any inclosure.
6.
A tuft of hair; a plexus of wool, hay or other like substance; a flock; a ringlet of hair.
A lock of hair will draw more than a cable rope.
Lock of water, is the measure equal to the contents of the chamber of the locks by which the consumption of water on a canal is estimated.