Etymology

safe conduct

Today it means: The security given by authority of a government to a stranger for his quietly coming into and passing out of the territories over which said government has jurisdiction or control. Full definition →

Old French sauf-conduit
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The story

  1. Old French · calque ofsauf-conduit
  2. English todaysafe conduct

Attested as early as the 14th century in Robert of Gloucerster's chronicles written in Middle English; ultimately a calque of Old French sauf-conduit.

Words from the same roots

Old Frenchsauf-conduit all →

safe-conduct

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.