captive

Meaning

Noun

1. One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.
2. One held prisoner.
3. (figuratively) One charmed or subdued by beauty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.
4. A captive insurance company, a subsidiary of a company used as its internal insurer.

Adj

1. (not-comparable) Held prisoner; not free; confined.
2. (not-comparable) Subdued by love; charmed; captivated.
3. (not-comparable) Of or relating to bondage or confinement; serving to confine.

Verb

To capture; to take captive.

Synonyms

prisoner

imprisoned

convict

prisoner of war

hostage

inmate

jailed

slave

confined

POW

enwrapped

engrossed

absorbed

wrapped

jailbird

intent

captured

thrall

trapped

gaolbird

PoW

prisoners

2

impri-soned

PW

captive of war

animal

🐾

bondman

bound

caught

colonist

con

culprit

impeded

imprisonment

locked up

obstructed

pawn

preoccupied

restrained

setscrew

stopped

Translations

captif

prisonnier

cautivo

gevangene

Gefangener

prigioniero

prisionero

prisioneiro

preso

αιχμάλωτος

cativo

gefangen

Gefangene

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈkæptɪv/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: captif

In summary

Inherited from Middle English captif; derived from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“seize, hold”).
Doublet of caitiff.