Origin: Latin suffix -ure
Secure has 13 different meanings across 2 categories:
assure payment of
"The loan officer assured us that our mortgage was secure once the final signature was on the deed."
To make safe; to relieve from apprehensions of, or exposure to, danger; to guard; to protect.
"The team worked late to secure the old warehouse before the storm hit."
In plain English: To secure something means to make it safe or firmly in place so nothing can move or get away.
"I need to secure my bike with a lock before I go inside."
free from fear or doubt; easy in mind
"he was secure that nothing will be held against him"
free from danger or risk
"secure from harm"
"his fortune was secure"
"made a secure place for himself in his field"
not likely to fail or give way
"the lock was secure"
"a secure foundation"
"a secure hold on her wrist"
immune to attack; incapable of being tampered with
"an impregnable fortress"
"fortifications that made the frontier inviolable"
"a secure telephone connection"
Free from attack or danger; protected.
"After locking all the windows and reinforcing the doors, we finally felt our home was secure against any intruders."
In plain English: Secure means feeling safe and protected from harm or danger.
"She feels secure in her job because she has been there for ten years."
Usage: Use secure to describe something that has been successfully defended against threats, such as a locked door or a safe investment portfolio. Do not confuse this adjective with the verb form when you need an adverb like safely instead of securely for general safety contexts.
The word "secure" comes from Latin sēcūrus, meaning free from care or danger. It is formed by combining sē- (without) and cūra (care).