Spanish word

cautiverio

Pronunciation

IPA/kautiˈβeɾjo/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncaptivity

Example

Después del secuestro, estuvo en cautiverio durante tres días.

After the kidnapping, he was in captivity for three days.

Illustration for cautiverio (captivity)

More examples

¿Cómo pudieron sobrevivir tantos días en cautiverio?

How were they able to survive so many days in captivity?

Core concept

State of being held against one's will and prevented from leaving.

Common phrases

  • en cautiverio

    in captivity

  • sufrir cautiverio

    suffer captivity

Similar words

secuestro: Criminal act of abducting a person and forcibly depriving them of their freedom.
prisión: Place that confines people convicted of crimes and limits their movement.
captividad: Condition of being captured and denied freedom, often applied to animals or prisoners.
detención: Temporary custody by authorities of a person suspected of a crime.

Definition in Spanish

Situación de una persona retenida contra su voluntad, como prisionero de guerra, rehén o víctima de un secuestro.

Word origin

From Latin captivus 'captive' via Spanish cautivo, with the suffix -erio forming a noun that denotes the condition of being held captive.

Usage tips

  • Used mainly in formal or news contexts; in everyday speech Spanish often prefers phrases like 'está retenido' or 'está secuestrado'.

Other meanings

  • imprisonmentnoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word