Lock /(lŏk)/

Lock

n.
  1. 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.

Lock

n.
  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.
  3. A place from which egress is prevented, as by a lock.
  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 matchlock, flintlock, percussion lock, etc.
  7. A device for keeping a wheel from turning.
  8. A grapple in wrestling.

Phrases & Compounds
Detector lock
a lock containing a contrivance for showing whether it as has been tampered with.
Lock bay
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
in ordinary paneled doors, the rail nearest the lock.
Lock rand
a range of bond stone.
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

v. 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.
  5. To furnish with locks; also, to raise or lower (a boat) in a lock. (Canals)
  6. To seize, as the sword arm of an antagonist, by turning the left arm around it, to disarm him. (Fencing)

Lock

v. i.
  1. 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.

Phrases & Compounds
To lock into
to fit or slide into; as, they lock into each other.