captivity
n. C / U B2 Upper Intermediate US //kæpˈtɪvəti// UK //kæptˈɪvɪti// cap·tiv·i·ty
n. the state of being held in a place and not free to leave. You use this word when someone or an animal is kept in a cage, prison, or other enclosed space.
n. the state of being confined or held against one's will. Uncountable in its abstract sense; countable when referring to specific periods or instances of confinement.
The bird lived in captivity for ten years.
Many zoo visitors feel uneasy seeing wild animals kept in captivity.
The poet described his exile as a form of captivity, where the invisible bars of political restriction were harder to break than iron ones.
From Middle English captivite, from Latin captīvitās. By surface analysis, captive + -ity. Entered into the English lexicon around the 14th century.