What is a safe programming language?

Safe programming languages (PL) are gaining popularity. What is the formal definition of safe PL? For example, C is not safe, but Java is safe. I suspect that the property “safe” should be applied to a PL implementation rather than to the PL itself. If so, how do we define what is a safe PL implementation?

There is no formal definition of "safe programming language"; it's an informal notion. Rather, languages that claim to provide safety usually provide a precise formal statement of what kind of safety is being claimed/guaranteed/provided. For instance, the language might provide type safety, memory safety, or some other similar guarantee.

StackExchange Computer Science Q#93798, answer score: 100