World Languages Lexicon
10 Language-to-English DictionariesHostage
/ˈhɒs.tɪdʒ/Comprehensive Definitions & Senses
2 senses- 1
A person seized or held as security for the fulfillment of a demand or condition.
"The armed robbers took three bank employees and two customers hostage during the attempted heist." - 2
A person or thing that is in the power of an unavoidable force or circumstance.
"He felt like a hostage to fortune, completely dependent on the unpredictable whims of the stock market."
Thesaurus & Semantic Spectrum
Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology
Derived from the Old French word 'hostage', which stems from the Late Latin 'obsidaticus' (pertaining to a hostage), coming from 'obses' (hostage, surety). The term entered the English language in the 15th century, initially denoting a person given as a pledge or security for the performance of conditions, before evolving to its modern primary sense of a captive held by force.
Which of the following is the closest synonym for "Hostage"?
10 Global Lexicons: How "Hostage" is said worldwide
Click any language below to open its dedicated Language to English dictionary page with native script & transliteration
otage
Transliteration: o-taʒ
"Les assaillants ont pris plusieurs personnes en otage."
Geisel
Transliteration: ˈɡaɪ̯zl̩
"Die Polizei befreite die Geisel nach langen Verhandlungen."
ostaggio
Transliteration: osˈtad.dʒo
"I criminali hanno preso in ostaggio il direttore della banca."
rehén
Transliteration: reˈen
"Liberaron a todos los rehenes sanos y salvos."
refém
Transliteration: ʁeˈfẽj
"O criminoso manteve a família como refém por horas."
बंधक
Transliteration: bandhak
"आतंकवादियों ने कई लोगों को बंधक बना लिया।"
人质
Transliteration: rénzhì
"警察成功解救了所有被绑架的人质。"
인질
Transliteration: injil
"범인은 은행원들을 인질로 잡고 경찰과 대치했다."
人質
Transliteration: hoshichi
"犯人は銀行の客を人質にとって立てこもった。"
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