captivity

UK/kæpˈtɪvɪti/US/kæpˈtɪvɪti/

nounB2Common in everyday speech and writing · #7,468 of 15,258leans written

Captivity is the state of being shut up and not free. Held, whether by people or in a cage.

It covers prisoners of war, hostages and animals in zoos, and the phrase born in captivity is a standard and slightly sad piece of zoo signage. Breeding in captivity has saved several species from extinction and is criticised for other reasons. It takes in. The related words are captive, both noun and adjective, and captor, meaning the one doing the holding. Its opposite is liberty or the wild.

Definitions of captivity

1nouncaptivityThe state of being imprisoned or confined.B2
“The birds had been in captivity for years.”

Where it comes from

Proto-Indo-European
*kap-
Latin
captīvitās
Middle English
captivite
English, today
captivity

From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. by surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Man Called Ove

First appears in chapter 34 of A Man Called Ove.

Practise this word

captivity in the wild

While trade in dolphins is internationally regulated, other aspects of keeping dolphins in captivity, such as the minimum size and characteristics of pools, vary among countries.
Dolphinarium
However, there is no fixed breeding season in captivity, and they can breed frequently throughout the year.
Campbell's dwarf hamster
A famous example of a captivity narrative, that historians regard as one of the first of its kind, is the personal account of Mary Rowlandson.
Captivity narrative
There had already been numerous English accounts of captivity by Barbary pirates.
Captivity narrative
Animal captivity is the confinement of domestic and wild animals.
Captivity (animal)

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From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

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