Custody
/ˈkʌs.tə.di/noun
The legal right or duty to care for and control someone or something.
Did you know?Custody comes from Latin custōdia, a word tied to guarding and keeping watch, so its oldest sense is less “care” and more “watchful control.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*keu̯-
“to observe, perceive”
Latin
LA
custōs
“a guard, watchman”
Latin
LA
custōdia
“guarding, watchfulness, custody”
Old French
OF
custodie
“guardianship, custody”
Middle English
EN
custodie
“guardianship, charge, keeping”
Modern English
EN
custody
“legal control or care of a person or property”