captivity
pronunciation
How to pronounce captivity in British English: UK [kæpˈtɪvəti]
How to pronounce captivity in American English: US [kæpˈtɪvəti]
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- Noun:
- the state of being imprisoned
- the state of being a slave
Word Origin
- captivity (n.)
- late 14c., Old French *captivite or directly from Latin captivitatem (nominative captivitas), from captivus (see captive (n.)). An Old English cognate word for it was gehæftnes (see haft).
Example
- 1. Whales can 't be kept in captivity .
- 2. But that creativity ultimately led to his captivity and death .
- 3. Two forms of hopelessness can result from captivity .
- 4. We might make the occasional foray into a park , which only reminds us that we are animals in captivity .
- 5. On october first , somali pirates kidnapped a disabled french woman from her home in kenya who has since died in captivity .