captive
n. countablen. a person or animal that is kept in a place and not allowed to leave. You use this word for people caught in a war or animals kept in a zoo.
n. a person or animal held under restraint or kept in confinement. Often used in the context of warfare, kidnapping, or zoology.
The soldiers released every captive after the peace deal.
The zoo keepers ensured the captive animals had enough space to move and play in their enclosures.
While the treaty secured the return of every military captive, the psychological impact of their long confinement required years of specialized support and community reintegration.
Inherited from Middle English captif; derived from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“seize, hold”). Doublet of caitiff.
Commonly used in the phrase 'held captive' or 'taken captive'.