Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The control and care of a person or property, especially when granted by a court: synonym: care.
  • noun The state of being detained or held under guard, especially by the police.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A keeping; a guarding; care, watch, inspection, or detention, for preservation or security: as, the prisoner was committed to the custody of the sheriff.
  • noun Restraint of liberty; confinement; imprisonment; incarceration.
  • noun Safe-keeping against a foe; guarding; security.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A keeping or guarding; care, watch, inspection, for keeping, preservation, or security.
  • noun Judicial or penal safe-keeping.
  • noun State of being guarded and watched to prevent escape; restraint of liberty; confinement; imprisonment.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.
  • noun Temporary possession or care of somebody else's property.
  • noun The state of being imprisoned or detained, usually pending a trial.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (with `in') guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
  • noun a state of being confined (usually for a short time)
  • noun holding by the police

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English custodie, from Latin custōdia, from custōs, custōd-, guard; see (s)keu- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin custodia ("a keeping, watch, guard, prison"), from custos ("a keeper, watchman, guard").

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word custody.

Examples

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • Think of this word as being spelled "custardy" to make light of those difficult incarceration-based situations.

    August 16, 2008

  • Niiiice!

    Reminds me of college, where all students had to do a two-year project called a Plan, and some friends devised a Top Ten List for Reducing Plan Stress. Number one was: "Change the P in Plan to an F for flan, and turn your own personal nightmare into an innocuous Mexican custard-like dessert."

    (Note: no flans were harmed in the making of this immature comment.)

    p.s. Have you thought about bracketing custardy?

    August 16, 2008

  • Consider it done, friend.

    August 19, 2008