The English Corner Term of the Week

Security /sɪˈkjʊərɪtɪ/:

Word formation: secur (root, verb) + ity (suffix for nominalization).

1. [noun, countable] The state of being secure. Assured freedom from poverty[1] or want.

Eg. This house gives you the necessary security in case of earthquake.

1. [noun, uncountable] The prevention of and protection against assault[2], damage[3], fire, fraud[4], invasion of privacy, theft, unlawful entry[5], and other such occurrences caused by deliberate action.  The protection of data to ensure that only authorized personnel[6] have access to computer files. 

Eg. The security in the government offices was not very good.

1. [noun, countable] The person or thing that secures or guarantees; a person who undertakes[7] to fulfil[8] another person’s obligation. The specific asset that a creditor can claim[9] title to in the event of default on an obligation

Eg. My father was my security for my flat rent.

1. COMPUTING [noun, uncountable] The extent to which a computer system is protected from data corruption, destruction, interception, loss[10], or unauthorized access.

Eg. I need to download the firewall to have the right security in my computer.

1. FINANCE [noun, countable] A financing or investment instrument issued[11] by a company or government agency that denotes an ownership[12] interest and provides evidence of a debt, a right to share in the earnings of the issuer, or a right in the distribution of a property.

   Eg. Securities include products such as bonds[13], notes, options, shares[14], and warrants but not insurance policies[15], and may be traded in financial markets such as stock exchanges[16].

Quotation

‘True security is based on people’s welfare – on a thriving economy, on strong public health and education programmes, and on fundamental respect for our common humanity. Development, peace, disarmament, reconciliation and justice are not separate from security; they help to underpin it’

Ban Ki-moon 

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[1] Poverty: pobreza

[2] Assault: asalto

[3] Damage: daño

[4] Fraud: fraude

[5] Unlawful entry: allanamiento de morada

[6] Personnel: plantilla de trabajadores

[7] Undertake: comprometerse

[8] Fulfil: realizar, llevar a cabo, cumplir

[9] Claim: solicitar, reclamar

[10] Loss: pérdida

[11] Issue: generar, crear

[12] Ownership: propiedad

[13] Bonds: bonos

[14] Shares: acciones

[15] Insurance policy: póliza de seguros

[16] Stock Exchange: la bolsa, mercado de valores