the keeping or charge of officers of the law: The car was held in the custody of the police.
imprisonment; legal restraint: He was taken into custody.
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 of custody
1400–50; late Middle English custodye <Latin custōdia “a watching, watchman,” equivalent to custōd- (stem of custōs ) “keeper” + -ia -y3
SYNONYMS FOR custody
1 safekeeping, charge, watch.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR custody ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for custody
1. 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.
Pauline Binam, a 30-year-old former detainee at Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia, had been in custody for about two years when she started having irregular menstrual bleeding.
A woman in ICE detention says her fallopian tube was removed without her consent|Nicole Narea|September 17, 2020|Vox
In the spring of 2015, the death of Freddie Gray, 25, from injuries sustained in police custody brought demonstrators into the streets of Baltimore.
What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?|by Alec MacGillis|September 3, 2020|ProPublica
Hundreds of protesters gathered, but many of them were immediately taken into custody.
How India became the world’s leader in internet shutdowns|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
By Simonis’s own estimation, the scientist spent around eight hours in the agents’ custody.
What Happened In Portland Shows Just How Fragile Our Democracy Is|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|August 5, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
Courts have also had trouble enforcing the orders and continuing to receive information from the government about migrants in its custody, she said.
Border Report: One More Way the Pandemic Is Hurting Asylum-Seekers|Maya Srikrishnan|August 3, 2020|Voice of San Diego
If she got caught with a shank, they would up her custody level.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
While Faal and Njie are in U.S. custody, the whereabouts of the other survivors is unknown.
The Shadowy U.S. Veteran Who Tried to Overthrow a Country|Jacob Siegel|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
During two years in Iranian custody, Abdolhamid provided crucial details of how Jundullah operated.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The four children were taken into custody by the Department of Social Services.
Beaten By His Church for Being Gay|Justin Jones|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The world should have a clearer idea after December 21, when the court decides whether or not Livvix will remain in custody.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist|Creede Newton|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I see that thou art wont to commit thy understanding to the custody of thy wife.
'Midst the Wild Carpathians|Mr Jkai
In some places it is common for the same ring to be used for many marriages, which ring remains in the custody of the priest.
Finger-Ring Lore|William Jones
A constable came up and took me into custody for robbing the turnip field.
The Mysteries of London, v. 1/4|George W. M. Reynolds
The fore-arms, now in the custody of the College of Surgeons, were for a time separated.
A Book about Doctors|John Cordy Jeaffreson
Put him in the fairest garden, and presently he will approach you with a newt, a toad, or a huge snail in his custody.
Danger! and Other Stories|Arthur Conan Doyle
British Dictionary definitions for custody
custody
/ (ˈkʌstədɪ) /
nounplural-dies
the act of keeping safe or guarding, esp the right of guardianship of a minor
the state of being held by the police; arrest (esp in the phrases in custody, take into custody)
Derived forms of custody
custodial (kʌˈstəʊdɪəl), adjective
Word Origin for custody
C15: from Latin custōdia, from custōs guard, defender