philosecurity

“Security” is a big word these days, and lots of people make their living working toward it. How many of us know what the word means and where it comes from?

Dictionary.com says that “security” comes from the Latin word “séc?rus,” or “carefree.” Interesting, given the level of stress and effort involved in the modern pursuit of security. “Carefree” implies that by definition, if you are devoting serious attention to achieving security, you don’t have it.

According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, “secure” means:

secure

1533, “without care,” from L. securus “without care, safe,” from *se cura, from se “free from” (see secret) + cura “care” (see cure).

cure

c.1300, from L. cura “care, concern, trouble,” from PIE base *kois- “be concerned.”

The base “kois,” meaning “to be concerned,” was used by Proto-Indo-Europeans (P.I.E.) roughly 7-9,000 years ago. I wonder if it’s at all related to the root of the word “kosher,” used to refer to strict dietary considerations. In any case, I like that etymologically speaking, the goal of security professionals is to help people be “carefree.”

Most security professionals I know aren’t in the industry just because they’re entrepreneurial, but also because they are drawn to the broad intellectual and social challenges which it encompasses. “Phil”is the Greek prefix for “love,” so I like to think of people who are passionate about security as “philosecurers.”