/kap"tiv/ , n.
1. a prisoner.
2. a person who is enslaved or dominated; slave: He is the captive of his own fears.
adj.
3. made or held prisoner, esp. in war: captive troops.
4. kept in confinement or restraint: captive animals.
5. enslaved by love, beauty, etc.; captivated: her captive beau.
6. of or pertaining to a captive.
7. managed as an affiliate or subsidiary of a corporation and operated almost exclusively for the use or needs of the parent corporation rather than independently for the general public: a captive shop; a captive mine.
[ 1300-50; ME ( captivus, equiv. to capt ( us ) taken (ptp. of capere to take) + -ivus -IVE ]