cap·tive
(k
p
t
v)
KEY
NOUN:
- One, such as a prisoner of war, who is forcibly confined, subjugated, or enslaved.
- One held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion.
ADJECTIVE:
- Taken and held prisoner, as in war.
- Held in bondage; enslaved.
- Kept under restraint or control; confined:
captive birds.
- Restrained by circumstances that prevent free choice:
a captive audience; a captive market.
- Enraptured, as by beauty; captivated.
ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English
captif, from Old French, from Latin
capt
vus, from
captus, past participle of
capere,
to seize; see
kap- in Indo-European roots
