interlock: Meaning and Definition of

in•ter•lock

Pronunciation: (v.in"tur-lok', in'tur-lok"n.in'tur-lok"), [key]
— v.i.
  1. to fit into each other, as parts of machinery, so that all action is synchronized.
  2. to interweave or interlace, one with another: The branches of the trees interlock to form a natural archway.
  3. (of switches, signals, etc.) to operate together in a prearranged order.
—v.t.
  1. to lock one with another.
  2. to fit (parts) together to ensure coordinated action.
  3. to arrange (switches, signals, etc.) to effect a predetermined sequence of movement.
—n.
  1. the fact or condition of interlocking or of being interlocked.
  2. the existence or an instance of an interlocking directorate.
  3. a device for preventing a mechanism from being set in motion when another mechanism is in such a position that the two operating simultaneously might produce undesirable results.
  4. Also calleda device or system that prevents an automotive engine from starting until the seat belt for any occupied front seat is fastened.
  5. a stretch fabric made with a circular knitting machine having two alternating sets of long and short needles.
  6. a device for synchronizing the action of a camera and sound recorder.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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