captivity
noun/kæpˈtɪvɪti/
Etymology From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. By surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.
1
The state of being captive.
- held in captivity
- escape from captivity
2 more examples
- The animals lived in captivity at the zoo.
- He wrote a memoir about his years in captivity.
2
Obsolete A group of people/beings captive.
3
The state or period of being imprisoned, confined, or enslaved.
- long captivity
- Derived terms
- anticaptivity, precaptivity, semicaptivity