Dictionary

deadman en · NOUN

Etymology

From dead + man. In the sense referring to a safety switch, the notion of an operator who is dead is the figurative archetype representing any incapacitation, absence, or inattention. See also Dead Hand in that regard.

Meanings

1. A long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays.
   • The building code requires deadmen for retaining walls.
2. (qualifier:safety equipment) A cutout device that operates in the event that an operator releases the control handles, leaves the operator's seat, or otherwise seems to be no longer present and alert.
   • [...] a Brown-Boveri deadman's control; [...]. 1962 April, “Beyond the Channel: Western Germany: The Henschel 4,000 h.p. V320 diesel”, in Modern Railways, page 274:
   • a deadman device

Forms

Deriveds

Deadman

Synonyms

dead man's switch

Translations (4)

ru сто́йка (a long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays) · pl blok kotwiący (a long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays) · ru анкерная сва́я (a long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays) · ru анкерный кол (a long object, often a timber or log, buried to serve as an anchor for a wall or for stays)