hostage
pronunciation
How to pronounce hostage in British English:
UK [ˈhɒstɪdʒ]
How to pronounce hostage in American English:
US [ˈhɑːstɪdʒ]
-
- Noun:
- a prisoner who is held by one party to insure that another party will meet specified terms
Word Origin
- hostage
- hostage: [13] Despite its similarity, hostage is not related to any of the English words host. It comes via Old French hostage from *obsidāticum, a Vulgar Latin derivative of late Latin obsidātus ‘condition of being held as a security for the fulfilment of an undertaking’. This is turn was based on Latin obses ‘hostage’, a compound noun formed from the prefix ob- ‘before’ and the base of sedēre ‘sit’ (English obsess [16] is made up of virtually the same elements). The use of hostage for the ‘person held’ was established before English took it over.=> obsess
- hostage (n.)
- late 13c., from Old French hostage "person given as security or hostage" (12c., Modern French ôtage), either from hoste "guest" (see host (n.1)) via notion of "a lodger held by a landlord as security," or from Late Latin obsidanus "condition of being held as security," from obses "hostage," from ob- "before" + base of sedere "to sit" [OED]. Modern political/terrorism sense is from 1970.
Example
- 1. The financial markets have taken the world economy hostage .
- 2. They are holding several trainees hostage .
- 3. Lofty words are always a hostage to fortune .
- 4. Yet I am not held hostage anymore !
- 5. The army also said the protesters were holding five soldiers hostage .