Dictionary

airlock en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From air + lock.

Meanings

1. A sealed, airtight chamber, such as in a manned spacecraft or submarine, used to provide access to and from the sealed area without allowing air out or water in.
   • At the head of the machine, we are shown the airlock through which people have to pass to work on the cutting head, as it operates under pressure to prevent leakages into the tunnel. 2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 42:
2. (informal) A vestibule, foyer or entranceway with doors to the exterior on one end and doors to the interior on the other, functioning to keep indoor and outdoor air, humidity, and air temperatures separate.
3. (alt-of, alternative) Alternative form of air lock.
   alt of air lock

Forms

Coordinates

boot room · mudroom

Descendants

エアロック

Translations (36)

bg вестибю́л (vestibule or foyer) · it camera d'equilibrio (sealed, airtight chamber) · cmn 氣閘艙 /气闸舱 (sealed, airtight chamber) · nl druksluis (sealed, airtight chamber) · he מנעל אוויר (sealed, airtight chamber) · fr sas (sealed, airtight chamber) · bn বায়ুকুলুপ (sealed, airtight chamber) · fi tuulikaappi (vestibule or foyer) · ga seomra aerdhíonach (sealed, airtight chamber) · es esclusa aérea (sealed, airtight chamber) · ko 에어록 (sealed, airtight chamber) · sv luftsluss (sealed, airtight chamber) · ga aerbhac (sealed, airtight chamber) · da luftsluse (sealed, airtight chamber) · cmn 氣塞 /气塞 (sealed, airtight chamber) · fi ilmasulku (sealed, airtight chamber) · de Druckschleuse (sealed, airtight chamber) · pl pokój z drzwiami z obu stron (vestibule or foyer) · bg възду́шен шлюз (sealed, airtight chamber) · bg трем (vestibule or foyer) · ar غُرْفَةُ مُعَادَلَةِ الضَّغْط (sealed, airtight chamber) · bg пруст (vestibule or foyer) · ja エアロック (sealed, airtight chamber) · af lugslot (sealed, airtight chamber) · de Luftschleuse (sealed, airtight chamber) · fi ilmalukko (sealed, airtight chamber) · nl luchtsluis (sealed, airtight chamber) · pl śluza powietrzna (sealed, airtight chamber) · sv vindfång (vestibule or foyer) · ru шлюз (sealed, airtight chamber) · fy loftslûs (sealed, airtight chamber) · pt eclusa de ar (sealed, airtight chamber) · es esclusa de aire (sealed, airtight chamber) · sv luftsluss (vestibule or foyer) · eo aerkluzo (sealed, airtight chamber) · it camera stagna (sealed, airtight chamber)

airlock en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From air + lock.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To secure with an airlock.
2. (transitive) To dispose of through an airlock.
   • I'm glad I hid it when I arrived on board because I'm pretty sure Skylar would've airlocked it along with my trusty cardigan and my dirty sneakers if she found them. 2019 September 6, S. J. Pajonas, First Flyght: A Reverse Harem Space Opera Romance, Onigiri Press, →ISBN:
   • Delighted by the unexpected two-pelt bonus, he airlocked the meat. Wookiee tasted oily and foul. 2011 June 28, Kevin Anderson, Tales of the Bounty Hunters: Star Wars Legends, Random House Worlds, →ISBN:
   • I think he'd airlock me if he knew my real feelings. 2019 November 4, Nick Adams, The Andromedan Fold: An explosive space opera adventure, Elliptical Publishing, →ISBN:
3. (figuratively, transitive) To firewall, to maintain an ethical wall.
   • […]cosmetics manufacturing enterprises do not want to have wholesalers standing in the middle to mark up prices of their products, and this has in fact affected the competitiveness of the manufacturers and airlocked the manufacturers from consumer dynamics. 1998, Jonathan Reuvid, Doing Business with China, GMB Publishing, Limited:

Forms