English Explanatory Dictionary

captive

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.
  2. One held prisoner.
  3. 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. Held prisoner; not free; confined.
  2. Subdued by love; charmed; captivated.
  3. Of or relating to bondage or confinement; serving to confine.
verb
  1. To capture; to take captive.

Pronunciation

/ˈkæptɪv/ en-us-captive.ogg

Word forms

captive captives captiving captived

Etymology

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.

Antonyms

non-captive noncaptive

Derived words

captivance captively encaptive recaptive semicaptive take captive captive audience captive audience meeting captive bead ring captive bolt pistol captive candidate captive insurer captive nation captive portal
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