airlock

airlock

English

Alternative forms

• air lock
• air-lock

Etymology

air +‎ lock

Noun

airlock (plural airlocks)

1. A sealed, airtight chamber, such as in a manned spacecraft or submarine, used to provide access to and from the sealed area without allowing air out or water in.
   • 2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 42:

     At the head of the machine, we are shown the airlock through which people have to pass to work on the cutting head, as it operates under pressure to prevent leakages into the tunnel.

2. (architecture, informal) A vestibule, foyer or entranceway with doors to the exterior on one end and doors to the interior on the other, functioning to keep indoor and outdoor air, humidity, and air temperatures separate.

   Coordinate terms: mudroom, boot room

3. Alternative form of air lock

Descendants

• → Japanese: エアロック (earokku)

Translations

sealed, airtight chamber

Chinese: Mandarin: 氣塞 (zh), 气塞 (zh) (qìsāi) Danish: luftsluse c Dutch: druksluis f, luchtsluis (nl) f Esperanto: aerkluzo Finnish: ilmalukko, ilmasulku French: sas (fr) m German: Luftschleuse f, Druckschleuse f Irish: aerbhac m Italian: camera stagna f, camera d'equilibrio f Japanese: エアロック (earokku) Portuguese: eclusa de ar f Russian: (атмосфе́рный OR перехо́дный) шлюз (ru) m (šljuz) Swedish: luftsluss c

vestibule or foyer

Finnish: tuulikaappi (fi)