Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Surety

Surety , noun

[Old English seurte, Old French seurté, French sûreté. See Sure, Security.]

1.
The state of being sure; certainty; security.
Know of a surety, that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs. — Gen. xv. 13
For the more surety they looked round about. — Sir P. Sidney
2.
That which makes sure; that which confirms; ground of confidence or security.
[We] our happy state Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds; On other surety none. — Milton
3.
Security against loss or damage; security for payment, or for the performance of some act.
There remains unpaid A hundred thousand more; in surety of the which One part of Aquitaine is bound to us. — Shakespeare
4.
(Law) One who is bound with and for another who is primarily liable, and who is called the principal; one who engages to answer for another's appearance in court, or for his payment of a debt, or for performance of some act; a bondsman; a bail.
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it. — Bible (KJV) - Proverb xi. 15
5.
Hence, a substitute; a hostage. — Cowper
6.
Evidence; confirmation; warrant. [Obsolete]
She called the saints to surety, That she would never put it from her finger, Unless she gave it to yourself. — Shakespeare

Surety , transitive verb

To act as surety for. [Obsolete] — Shakespeare