Etymologically
Log in

custody

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 09:19. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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
  • 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