Captive a. and sb.

Also 4–5 captif(e, -yfe, 6– -yue. [a. F. captif, -ive, ad. L. captīv-us taken prisoner, a prisoner, f. capt-us taken: see -IVE. Cf. CAITIFF.]

  A.  adj. (In early use, and in many phrases, the adj. and sb. are hardly separable.)

  1.  Taken prisoner in war, or by force; kept in confinement or bondage.

c. 1374.  Chaucer, Troylus, III. 333. Stocked in prison. Captive to cruell king Agamemnon.

1535.  Coverdale, Ezra x. 6. Put out from the congregacion of the captiue.

1611.  Bible, 2 Macc. viii. 10. To make so much money of the captiue Iewes.

a. 1700.  Dryden, Pal. & Arc., I. 511. Nor hopes the captive lord his liberty.

1855.  H. Reed, Lect. Eng. Lit., iv. (1878), 128. Kings were captive in England’s capital.

  b.  transf. Said of animals caught and kept in confinement, e.g., a captive lark; also of things restrained from escaping, as a captive balloon.

  c.  To lead, take, hold captive: perh. this was orig. the sb., as in to take prisoner, but it remains unchanged in the pl.

[1382.  Wyclif, 2 Chron. xxx. 9. Their lordis that hem laddyn caityf.]

1535.  Coverdale, Jer. xxii. 11. In the place, where vnto he is led captyue.

1575.  Laneham, Lett. (1871), 32. Many led captiue for triumph.

1611.  Bible, Gen. xiv. 14. When Abram heard that his brother was taken captiue, he armed his trained seruants.

1806.  A. Knox, Rem., I. 33. Temptations by which … we were led captive.

1884.  Gustafson, Found. Death, i. (ed. 3), 4. Setting free the waters they had held captive.

  2.  fig. Captivated, enslaved in will and feeling.

1594.  Shaks., Rich. III., IV. i. 80. My Womans heart, Grossely grew captiue to his honey words. Ibid. (1601), All’s Well, V. iii. 17. Whose words all eares took captiue.

  3.  Of or belonging to a captive.

1590.  Spenser, F. Q., I. vii. 49. That he my captive languor should redeeme.

1671.  Milton, Samson, 1603. I sorrowed at his captive state.

  ¶ 4.  Used for CAITIFF a. or sb.

1634.  Malory’s Arthur (1816), II. 239. I am the most wretch and captive of the world.

  B.  sb.

  1.  A person taken prisoner, in war, or by brigands or savages; one taken and held in confinement.

a. 1400[?].  Morte Arth., 1580. To comone with his captifis fore covatys of silver.

1494.  Fabyan, IV. lxvii. 45. To be a Captyue or a prysoner to y^e Romaynes.

1611.  Bible, Dan. ii. 25. I haue found a man of the captiues of Iudah, that will make knowen vnto the king the interpretation.

1713.  Young, Force Relig., I. (1757), 53. But whither is the captive borne away, The beauteous captive, from the chearful day?

  fig.  c. 1600.  Shaks., Sonn., lxvi. And captiue-good attending Captaine ill.

  b.  transf. Said of an animal or thing.

1820.  Hoyle’s Games Impr., 313. He [a piece at draughts] becomes king and is crowned by placing one of the captives upon him.

1885.  Pall Mall Gaz., 7 Feb., 3/2. The balloon committee at Chatham is only busy with ‘captives.’

  2.  fig. One captivated or enslaved by beauty, personal influence, or the like.

1726.  Ld. Lansdowne, Upon a Hearing, etc. Poems 94 (R.).

  C.  Comb. captive-like a. and adv.

1583.  T. Watson, Poems, lxxiii. (Arb.), 109. The winged boy … led him captiuelyke from all delight.