rhizoverbBeta
DictionarycustodyLegal care of a child
noun

custody

KUS-tuh-dee/ˈkʌstədi/

Control over someone or something entrusted to one's keeping.

The property officer places the sealed valuables in police custody inside a locked cabinet.

A uniformed police property officer secures a sealed bag of valuables inside a locked evidence cabinet, depicting institutional custody of guarded property.
Etymology
custodyLatinguarding, safekeeping

Latin custodia expressed guarding and safekeeping. The selected legal sense preserves that protective idea: custody is responsibility for keeping a person or thing in one's care.

In context

FRONTLINE PBS I Non-Official Archive [CC]16:26
cannot agree on who will have legal custody of their children and take responsibility for the decisions involving them
PBS Frontline: Divorce Wars (1986)

More examples

  • Police keep the suspect in custody overnight.
  • The museum has custody of the documents until their owner returns.
  • She seeks full custody of her two children.

Forms

custody

custodial adjective — Relating to legal care or confinement.

custodian noun — A person responsible for protecting or managing something.

Similar words

guardianship
Usually concerns ongoing legal responsibility for a minor or dependent.
care
Emphasizes looking after someone, without necessarily having legal authority.
detention
Specifically means holding someone, usually under official authority.