noun
1.
an embossed emblem, figure, symbol, word, letter, etc., used as attestation or evidence of authenticity.
2.
a stamp, medallion, ring, etc., engraved with such a device, for impressing paper, wax, lead, or the like: The king took the seal from his finger and applied it to the document.
3.
the impression so obtained: It was unmistakably the royal seal on the document.
4.
a mark or symbol attached to a legal document and imparting a formal character to it, originally wax with an impression.
5.
a piece of wax or similar adhesive substance so attached to an envelope, folded document, etc., that it must be broken when the object is opened, insuring that the contents have not been tampered with or altered.
6.
anything that tightly or completely closes or secures a thing, as closures or fastenings for doors and railroad cars, adhesive stamps and tapes used to secure the flap of an envelope, etc.
7.
something that keeps a thing secret: Her vow was the seal that kept her silent.
8.
a decorative stamp, especially as given to contributors to a charitable fund: a Christmas seal.
9.
a mark, sign, symbol, or the like, serving as visible evidence of something.
10.
anything that serves as assurance, confirmation, or bond: She gave the plan her seal of approval.
11.
Plumbing.
a.
a small amount of water held by a trap to exclude foul gases from a sewer or the like.
b.
the depth of the part of the water that actually excludes the gases.
12.
the seals, British. the tokens or signs of public office.
verb (used with object)
13.
to affix a seal to in authorization, testimony, etc.
14.
to assure, confirm, or bind with or as if with a seal: They sealed the bargain with a handshake.
15.
to impress a seal upon as evidence of legal or standard exactness, measure, quality, etc.
16.
to close by any form of fastening that must be broken before access can be gained.
17.
to fasten or close tightly by or as if by a seal: She was sealing envelopes. My lips are sealed.
18.
to decide irrevocably: to seal someone's fate.
19.
to grant under one's seal or authority, as a pardon.
20.
Mormon Church. to make (a marriage or adoption) forever binding; solemnize.
21.
Electricity. to bring (a plug and jack or socket) into locked or fully aligned position.
00:10
Seal
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
| to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable. |
22.
Idioms seal off,
a.
to close hermetically: to seal off a jar.
b.
to block (an entrance, area, etc.) completely so as to prevent escape or entrance: The police sealed off the area after the bomb threat was received.
23.
set one's seal to, to give one's approval to; authorize; endorse: Both families have set their seal to the marriage.
Origin:
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English seel, seil(e), seale mark on a document, token < Old French seel (French sceau) < Late Latin *sigellum, Latin sigillum, diminutive of signum sign; replacing Middle English seil, Old English (in)segel seal < Late Latin, as above; (v.) sealen, seilen < Old French seeler, seieler, derivative of seel
1175–1225; (noun) Middle English seel, seil(e), seale mark on a document, token < Old French seel (French sceau) < Late Latin *sigellum, Latin sigillum, diminutive of signum sign; replacing Middle English seil, Old English (in)segel seal < Late Latin, as above; (v.) sealen, seilen < Old French seeler, seieler, derivative of seel
Related forms
seal·a·ble, adjective
re·seal·a·ble, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
noun
1.
any of numerous marine carnivores of the suborder Pinnipedia, including the eared or fur seals, as the sea lion, and the earless or hair seals, as the harbor seal.
2.
the skin of such an animal.
3.
leather made from this skin.
4.
the fur of the fur seal; sealskin.
5.
a fur used as a substitute for sealskin.
verb (used without object)
7.
to hunt, kill, or capture seals.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English sele, Old English seolh; cognate with Old Norse selr
before 900; Middle English sele, Old English seolh; cognate with Old Norse selr
Related forms
seal·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To seal
Collins
World English Dictionary
seal1 (siːl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a device impressed on a piece of wax, moist clay, etc, fixed to a letter, document, etc, as a mark of authentication |
| 2. | a stamp, ring, etc, engraved with a device to form such an impression |
| 3. | a substance, esp wax, so placed over an envelope, document, etc, that it must be broken before the object can be opened or used |
| 4. | any substance or device used to close or fasten tightly |
| 5. | a material, such as putty or cement, that is used to close an opening to prevent the passage of air, water, etc |
| 6. | a small amount of water contained in the trap of a drain to prevent the passage of foul smells |
| 7. | an agent or device for keeping something hidden or secret |
| 8. | anything that gives a pledge or confirmation |
| 9. | a decorative stamp often sold in aid of charity |
| 10. | RC Church Also called: seal of confession the obligation never to reveal anything said by a penitent in confession |
| 11. | set one's seal on, set one's seal to |
| a. to mark with one's sign or seal | |
| b. to endorse | |
| —vb | |
| 12. | to affix a seal to, as proof of authenticity |
| 13. | to stamp with or as if with a seal |
| 14. | to approve or authorize |
| 15. | ( |
| 16. | ( |
| 17. | to decide irrevocably |
| 18. | Mormon Church to make (a marriage or adoption) perpetually binding |
| 19. | to subject (the outside of meat, etc) to fierce heat so as to retain the juices during cooking |
| 20. | to close tightly so as to render airtight or watertight |
| 21. | to paint (a porous material) with a nonporous coating |
| 22. | (Austral), (NZ) to consolidate (a road surface) with bitumen, tar, etc |
| [C13 seel, from Old French, from Latin sigillum little figure, from signum a sign] | |
| 'sealable1 | |
| —adj | |
| seal2 (siːl) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | eared seal See earless seal any pinniped mammal of the families Otariidae (eared seals) and Phocidae (earless seals) that are aquatic but come on shore to breedRelated: otarid, phocine |
| 2. | any earless seal (family Phocidae), esp the common or harbour seal or the grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) |
| 3. | sealskin |
| —vb | |
| 4. | (intr) to hunt for seals |
| Related: otarid, phocine | |
| [Old English seolh; related to Old Norse selr, Old High German selah, Old Irish selige tortoise] | |
| 'seal-like2 | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
seal
"design stamped on wax," c.1230, from O.Fr. seel (Fr. sceau), from V.L. *sigellum (cf. It. suggello, Sp. sello, also O.Fris., M.H.G. sigel, Ger. Siegel), from L. sigillum "small picture, engraved figure, seal," dim. of signum "mark, token" (see sign). An earlier borrowing directly
from L. is represented by O.E. insigel. Sealing-wax is attested from c.1300. Seal point "dark brown marking on a Siamese cat" is recorded from 1934.
seal
"mammal with flippers," O.E. seolh "seal," from P.Gmc. *selkhaz (cf. O.N. selr, Swed. sjöl, M.L.G. sel, M.Du. seel, O.H.G. selah), of unknown origin, perhaps a borrowing from Finnic.
seal
"to fasten with (or as with) a seal," early 13c., from seal (n.1). Meaning "to place a seal on (a document)" is recorded from mid-14c.; sense of "to close up with wax, lead, cement, etc." is attested from 1660s, from the notion of wax seals on envelopes. To seal one's fate
(1810) probably reflects the notion of a seal on an execution warrant.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
seal  (sēl) Pronunciation Key
Any of various aquatic carnivorous mammals of the families Phocidae and Otariidae, having a sleek, torpedo-shaped body and limbs that are modified into paddlelike flippers. Seals live chiefly in the Northern Hemisphere and, like walruses, are pinnipeds. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
SEAL definition
Semantics-directed Environment Adaptation Language.
(ftp://ftp.cwi.nl/pub/gipe/0092b.ps.Z).
American Heritage
Abbreviations & Acronyms
| SEAL sea, air, land [team] |
The American Heritage® Abbreviations Dictionary, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary
Seal definition
commonly a ring engraved with some device (Gen. 38:18, 25). Jezebel "wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal" (1 Kings 21:8). Seals are frequently mentioned in Jewish history (Deut. 32:34; Neh. 9:38; 10:1; Esther 3:12; Cant. 8:6; Isa. 8:16; Jer. 22:24; 32:44, etc.). Sealing a document was equivalent to the signature of the owner of the seal. "The use of a signet-ring by the monarch has recently received a remarkable illustration by the discovery of an impression of such a signet on fine clay at Koyunjik, the site of the ancient Nineveh. This seal appears to have been impressed from the bezel of a metallic finger-ring. It is an oval, 2 inches in length by 1 inch wide, and bears the image, name, and titles of the Egyptian king Sabaco" (Rawlinson's Hist. Illus. of the O.T., p. 46). The actual signet-rings of two Egyptian kings (Cheops and Horus) have been discovered. (See SIGNET.) The use of seals is mentioned in the New Testament only in connection with the record of our Lord's burial (Matt. 27:66). The tomb was sealed by the Pharisees and chief priests for the purpose of making sure that the disciples would not come and steal the body away (ver. 63, 64). The mode of doing this was probably by stretching a cord across the stone and sealing it at both ends with sealing-clay. When God is said to have sealed the Redeemer, the meaning is, that he has attested his divine mission (John 6:27). Circumcision is a seal, an attestation of the covenant (Rom. 4:11). Believers are sealed with the Spirit, as God's mark put upon them (Eph. 1:13; 4:30). Converts are by Paul styled the seal of his apostleship, i.e., they are its attestation (1 Cor. 9:2). Seals and sealing are frequently mentioned in the book of Revelation (5:1; 6:1; 7:3; 10:4; 22:10).
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
seal
In addition to the idioms beginning with seal, also see lips are sealed; set one's seal on; signed, sealed and delivered.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
Boil, cool, and seal the water with the floating contacts in an airtight container until morning.
When any faucet starts to drip, the problem is usually a worn seal or component.
Split into quadrants, each section is engraved with the seal of the state, laying claim to its parcel of disk.
They aren't true in-ears, but the rubber tips form a seal that's tight enough.
Idioms & Phrases
Images for seal
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
