Etymology of the English word captive
the English word
captivederived from the Old French word
captifderived from the Late Latin word
captivus (caught, taken captive; captured; prisoner of war, captive)
derived from the Latin word
captus (capacity, ability, potentiality; captured, captive)
derived from the Late Latin word
capere (to take; take hold, seize; grasp)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kap-Date
The earliest known usage of captive in English dates from the 14th century.
Derivations in English
captived,
captivingUsage
Word found in Modern English
