custody

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈkʌstədiː/^[1]

Etymology

It is Middle English custodye, borrowed from Latin custōdia (“guarding, keeping; prison”),^[2][3][4][5] from custōs (“guardian, keeper”), of uncertain origin;^[2] Etymonline and MWU relate it to PIE Proto-Indo-European *(s)keu- (“to cover, conceal”) and Greek keúthein, to hide.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Safekeeping, protection, guardianship: before 1449 in Barnhart, the mid-15th century in Etymonline, 1491 in the OED.^[2][3][6]

Semantic evolution

Restraint of liberty, being held by officers of justice, is from 1590, the 1580s in Etymonline.^[6][3] The right to look after a child, as decided by a court in a divorce, is a later legal sense.^[7][8] Custodian is from 1781, replacing Middle English custode,^[2] and custodial from 1772.^[2]

Timeline

• before 1449 – safekeeping.^[2]
• 1590 – detention by the law.^[6]
• 1772 – custodial.^[2]
• 1781 – custodian.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The protective care or guardianship of someone or something.
2. The legal right to care for a child, especially after a divorce.
3. Imprisonment or detention: taken into custody.

Word family

• joint custody
• protective custody
• sole custody

Related words

• custodial
• custodian
• hide

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
8. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins