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captives

 - 3 dictionary results

cap⋅tive

[kap-tiv]
–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
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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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Word Origin & History

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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