captive

See also: captivé

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Doublet of caitiff.

Pronunciation

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Noun

captive (plural captives)

1. One who has been captured or is otherwise confined.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess‎^[1]:

     When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him. The captive made no resistance […].

2. One held prisoner.
3. (figuratively) One charmed or subdued by beauty, excellence, or affection; one who is captivated.

Translations

a person who has been captured

• Arabic: أَسِير‎‎ m (ʾasīr)
• Armenian: գերի (hy) (geri)
• Azerbaijani: əsir (az)
• Bulgarian: пле́нник (bg) m (plénnik)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 俘虜 (zh), 俘虏 (zh) (fúlǔ)

• Czech: zajatec (cs) m
• Dutch: gevangene (nl) m, f
• Finnish: vanki (fi)
• French: captif (fr) m, captive (fr) f
• Galician: cativo m
• German: Gefangener (de) m, Gefangene (de) f
• Irish: cime m, príosúnach m, braighdeanach m, broid f (literary)
• Italian: prigioniero (it)
• Japanese: 俘虜 (ja) (ふりょ, furyo, とりこ, toriko), とりこ (ja) (toriko)
• Korean: 포로 (ko) (poro) (捕虜 (ko))

• Maori: whakarau
• Nahuatl: malli (nah)
• Navajo: yisnááh
• Old English: hæft
• Polish: jeniec (pl) m
• Portuguese: cativo (pt) m
• Russian: пле́нный (ru) m (plénnyj), пле́нная (ru) f (plénnaja), пле́нник (ru) m (plénnik), пле́нница (ru) f (plénnica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: сужањ m, заробљеник m, заробљеница f

  Roman: sužanj (sh) m, zarobljenik (sh) m, zarobljenica (sh) f

• Spanish: cautivo (es) m, prisionero (es) m
• Swedish: fånge (sv)
• Thai: เชลย (th) (chá-ləəi)
• Turkish: esir (tr)
• Ukrainian: поло́нений m (polónenyj), бра́нець (uk) m (bránecʹ)

a person held prisoner

• Arabic: أَسِير‎‎ m (ʾasīr)
• Bulgarian: затворник (bg) m (zatvornik)
• Czech: zajatec (cs) m
• Dutch: gevangene (nl) m, f
• Esperanto: kaptito, malliberulo
• Finnish: vanki (fi)
• German: Gefangener (de)
• Irish: cime m
• Italian: prigioniero (it)
• Nahuatl: malli (nah)
• Navajo: yisnááh

• Novial: kaptate
• Persian: اسیر‎‎ (fa) (asir)
• Polish: więzień (pl) m, jeniec (pl) m
• Portuguese: prisioneiro (pt) m
• Russian: пле́нник (ru) m (plénnik), пле́нница (ru) f (plénnica), у́зник (ru) m (úznik), у́зница (ru) f (úznica)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: заробљеник m, заробљеница f

  Roman: zarobljenik (sh) m, zarobljenica (sh) f

• Spanish: preso (es) m
• Thai: เชลย (th) (chá-ləəi)
• Turkish: esir (tr), mahkum (tr), tutuklu (tr), hükümlü (tr)

Adjective

captive (not comparable)

1. Held prisoner; not free; confined.
   • Milton

     A poor, miserable, captive thrall.

2. Subdued by love; charmed; captivated.
   • Shakespeare

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

3. Of or relating to bondage or confinement; serving to confine.

   captive chains; captive hours

Translations

held prisoner

• Bulgarian: пленен (bg) (plenen)
• Czech: zajatý
• Dutch: gevangen (nl)
• Finnish: vangittu (fi)
• French: captif (fr)
• German: gefangen (de)

• Italian: catturato (it), intrappolato (it)
• Maori: aromea
• Portuguese: cativo (pt)
• Russian: пле́нный (ru) (plénnyj)
• Spanish: cautivo (es)

Verb

captive (third-person singular simple present captives, present participle captiving, simple past and past participle captived)

1. (transitive, archaic) To capture; to take captive.

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French

Verb

captive

1. first-person singular present indicative of captiver
2. third-person singular present indicative of captiver
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of captiver
4. first-person singular present subjunctive of captiver
5. second-person singular imperative of captiver

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Latin

Adjective

captīve

1. vocative masculine singular of captīvus