captivity

/kæpˈtɪvəti/kap-TIH-vuh-tee

/kæpˈtɪvəti/kap-TIH-vuh-tee

Meaningthe state of being taken

Common meaning: being held prisoner

captto grasp, takeLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 283 · scan
ivadjective ending: tending to
itynoun ending: being so, the quality of

Journey through time

Latincaptiuus‘a captive’source
Englishcaptive‘a prisoner’
Englishformed in English from captivecaptivity‘being held prisoner’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Formed in English from captive + -ity.

Dictionary: Skeat (1898), CAPTIVE, p.93 · scan

Roots

capiō, cēpī, captum Latin “to grasp, take”

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