I. ˈkāj noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin cavea cavity, cage, from cavus hollow — more at cave
Date: 13th century
1. : a box or enclosure having some openwork for confining or carrying animals (as birds)
2.
a. : a barred cell for confining prisoners
b. : a fenced area for prisoners of war
3. : a framework serving as support
the steel cage of a skyscraper
4.
a. : an enclosure resembling a cage in form or purpose
a cashier's cage
b. : an arrangement of atoms or molecules so bonded as to enclose a space in which another atom or ion (as of a metal) can reside
5.
a. : batting cage
b. : a goal consisting of posts or a frame with a net attached (as in ice hockey)
6. : a large building containing an area for practicing outdoor sports and often adapted for indoor events
• cage·ful -ˌfu̇l noun
II. transitive verb
( caged ; cag·ing )
Date: 1556
1. : to confine or keep in or as if in a cage
2. : to drive (as a puck) into a cage and score a goal