safe-conduct

noun

A document that grants safe passage through enemy territory in times of war.

Similar
passe-partoutsafeguard
OriginOld French sauf-conduit →
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Meanings

nounsafe-conduct (plural safe-conducts)

plural safe-conducts

  1. A document that grants safe passage through enemy territory in times of war.

    Synonyms: passe-partout, safeguard

  2. A convoy or guard to protect a person in a foreign country.
verbsafe-conduct (third-person singular simple present safe-conducts, present participle safe-conducting, simple past and past participle safe-conducted)

present singular third person safe-conducts · participle present safe-conducting · participle past safe-conducted · past safe-conducted

  1. obsoleteTo guarantee safe passage by granting such a document.

    Who […] Haue paſt the armie of the mightie Turke: Bearing his priuie ſignet and his hand, To ſafe conduct vs thorow Affrica: […]

    c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA document that grants safe passage through enemy territory in times of war.

Similar
passe-partoutsafeguard

More synonyms by meaning

nouna document or escort providing safe passage through a region especially in time of war

Similar
safeguard
Broader
passpassport
Also see
letter of conductpasse-partoutsafeguard

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchsauf-conduit
  2. Englishsafe-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.

More words from Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan salconduit
  • salconduitdocument
Dutch vrijgeleide
  • vrijgeleidedocument
French sauf-conduit
  • sauf-conduitdocument
German freies Geleit
  • freies Geleitdocument
Italian salvacondotto
  • salvacondottodocument
Portuguese salvo-conduto
  • salvo-condutodocument
Spanish salvoconducto
  • salvoconductodocument
Cite this entry
APA

safe-conduct. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/safe-conduct

MLA

“safe-conduct.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/safe-conduct. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “safe-conduct,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/safe-conduct.

Source: safe-conduct on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.