custody

[kuhs-tuh-dee] /ˈkʌs tə di/
noun, plural custodies.
1.
keeping; guardianship; care.
2.
the keeping or charge of officers of the law:
The car was held in the custody of the police.
3.
imprisonment; legal restraint:
He was taken into custody.
4.
Also called child custody. Law. the right of determining the residence, protection, care, and education of a minor child or children, especially in a divorce or separation.
Compare joint custody, sole custody.
Origin
1400-50; late Middle English custodye < Latin custōdia a watching, watchman, equivalent to custōd- (stem of custōs) keeper + -ia -y3
Synonyms
1. safekeeping, charge, watch. Custody, keeping, possession imply a guardianship or care for something. Custody denotes a strict keeping, as by a formally authorized and responsible guardian or keeper: in the custody of the sheriff. Keeping denotes having in one's care or charge, as for guarding or preservation: I left the package in my mother's keeping. Possession means holding, ownership, or mastery: Leave it in possession of its owner.
Examples from the web for custody
  • custody situation: nephew's dad is not, nor has he ever been, in the picture.
  • Only two major figures from the old regime are in custody.
  • The alleged thief was taken into custody but no charges were brought for lack of evidence.
  • Paramilitary cops in ski masks taking dudes into custody.
  • Many are extracted from police custody only by bribes.
  • Pepper spray use has been suspected of contributing to a number of deaths that occurred in police custody.
  • No one can say why his treatment in custody is more lenient this time around.
  • But the principle was there, of putting natural food into temporary protective custody for retail sale.
  • The number of arrests swelled, often with entire groups being taken into custody.
  • No one explained how he could have recorded a video in custody.
British Dictionary definitions for custody

custody

/ˈkʌstədɪ/
noun (pl) -dies
1.
the act of keeping safe or guarding, esp the right of guardianship of a minor
2.
the state of being held by the police; arrest (esp in the phrases in custody, take into custody)
Derived Forms
custodial (kʌˈstəʊdɪəl) adjective
Word Origin
C15: from Latin custōdia, from custōs guard, defender
Word Origin and History for custody
n.

mid-15c., from Latin custodia "guarding, watching, keeping," from custos (genitive custodis) "guardian, keeper, protector," from PIE *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)).