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captive - 7 dictionary results

cap⋅tive

  [kap-tiv]
Use captive in a Sentence
–noun
1. a prisoner.
2. a person who is enslaved or dominated; slave: He is the captive of his own fears.
–adjective
3. made or held prisoner, esp. in war: captive troops.
4. kept in confinement or restraint: captive animals.
5. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated: her captive beau.
6. of or pertaining to a captive.
7. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public: a captive shop; a captive mine.
Origin:
1300–50; ME (< MF) < L captīvus, equiv. to capt(us) taken (ptp. of capere to take) + -īvus -ive
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cap·tive   (kāp'tĭv)   
n.  
  1. One, such as a prisoner of war, who is forcibly confined, subjugated, or enslaved.
  2. One held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion.
adj.  
  1. Taken and held prisoner, as in war.
  2. Held in bondage; enslaved.
  3. Kept under restraint or control; confined: captive birds.
  4. Restrained by circumstances that prevent free choice: a captive audience; a captive market.
  5. Enraptured, as by beauty; captivated.

[Middle English captif, from Old French, from Latin captīvus, from captus, past participle of capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Captive

Cap"tive\, n. [L. captivus, fr. capere to take: cf. F. captif. See Caitiff.]

1. A prisoner taken by force or stratagem, esp., by an enemy, in war; one kept in bondage or in the power of another.

Then, when I am thy captive, talk of chains. --Milton.

2. One charmed or subdued by beaty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.

Captive

Cap"tive\, a. 1. Made prisoner, especially in war; held in bondage or in confinement.

A poor, miserable, captive thrall. --Milton.

2. Subdued by love; charmed; captivated.

Even in so short a space, my wonan's heart Grossly grew captive to his honey words. --Shak.

3. Of or pertaining to bondage or confinement; serving to confine; as, captive chains; captive hours.

Captive

Cap"tive\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Captived; p. pr. & vb. n. Captiving.] To take prisoner; to capture.

Their inhabitans slaughtered and captived. --Burke.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : captive
Spanish: cautivo, preso,
German: der Gefangene,
Japanese: 捕虜
More Translations »

captive  (n.)
c.1374, from L. captivus, from captus, pp. of capere "to take, hold, seize" (see capable). Replaced O.E. hæftling, from hæft "taken, seized." Captivity is from c.1325. Captivate "fascinate, charm" is from 1535.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Captive

one taken in war. Captives were often treated with great cruelty and indignity (1 Kings 20:32; Josh. 10:24; Judg. 1:7; 2 Sam. 4:12; Judg. 8:7; 2 Sam. 12:31; 1 Chr. 20:3). When a city was taken by assault, all the men were slain, and the women and children carried away captive and sold as slaves (Isa. 20; 47:3; 2 Chr. 28:9-15; Ps. 44:12; Joel 3:3), and exposed to the most cruel treatment (Nah. 3:10; Zech. 14:2; Esther 3:13; 2 Kings 8:12; Isa. 13:16, 18). Captives were sometimes carried away into foreign countries, as was the case with the Jews (Jer. 20:5; 39:9, 10; 40:7).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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