Meaning

noun a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

noun an animal that is confined

noun a person held in the grip of a strong emotion or passion

originInherited from Middle English captif; derived from Latin captīvus, probably through a borrowing from a Middle French intermediate. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“seize, hold”). Doublet of caitiff.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0