custody
English
Etymology
From Latin custodia (“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”), from custos (“a keeper, watchman, guard”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkʌstədiː/ (Estuary English)
- Homophone: custardy (in some dialects)
Noun
custody (usually uncountable, plural custodies)
- The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.
- The court awarded custody to the child's father.
- Temporary possession or care of somebody else's property.
- I couldn't pay the bill and now my passport is in custody of the hotel management.
- The state of being imprisoned or detained, usually pending a trial.
- He was mistreated while in police custody.
Derived terms
Terms derived from custody
Translations
legal right to take care of something or somebody
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temporary possession
state of being imprisoned or detained
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Further reading
- custody in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
- custody in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
- custody at OneLook Dictionary Search
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