French word

captivité

Pronunciation

IPA/kaptivite/

Meaning

  • feminine nouncaptivity

Example

La police a découvert une femme en captivité.

The police discovered a woman in captivity.

Illustration for captivité (captivity)

More examples

Après des années en captivité, il a été libéré.

After years in captivity, he was released.

Core concept

A life narrowed to confinement under a captor's power, whether through capture, detention, or enforced retention.

Common phrases

  • en captivité

    in captivity

  • vivre en captivité

    live in captivity

  • tenir en captivité

    hold ___ in captivity

Similar words

prison: A state of restricted freedom caused by confinement in prison.
détention: Temporary custody imposed for an investigation or legal procedure.
emprisonnement: Being sent to prison as a criminal punishment.
séquestration: The crime of illegally confining someone and taking away their freedom.

Definition in French

Désigne la condition d'être privé de liberté par capture, enfermement ou rétention par autrui.

Word origin

The noun derives from Latin captivitas through Old French, with captivus meaning 'captive' and capere meaning 'to take'.

Usage tips

  • Captivité has a formal or literary tone and often describes prolonged or serious confinement rather than routine jail time.

Opposites

Related words

  • captifcaptiveadjective
  • captivercaptivateverb

Word lists with this word