Meanings
nouncustody (usually uncountable, plural custodies)
plural custodies
- uncountableusuallyThe legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.
The mother gained custody of the children.
1 more example
The court awarded custody to the child's father.
- uncountableusuallyTemporary possession or care of somebody else's property.
I couldn't pay the bill and now my passport is in custody of the hotel management.
- uncountableusuallyThe state of being imprisoned or detained, usually pending a trial.
He was mistreated while in police custody.
1 more example
Original petition for writ of habeas corpus to obtain release from custody under sentence to five years imprisonment for aiding coprisoners in endeavors to escape from jail.
1958, Southern Reporter. Second Series, page 297 - uncountableusuallyCatholicismAn area under the jurisdiction of a custos within the Order of Friars Minor.
The Custody of the Holy Land includes the monasteries of Bethlehem, Nazareth, and Jerusalem.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna state of being confined (usually for a short time)
Similar
Broader
noun(with ‘in’) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
Similar
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincustōdia“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”
- Englishcustody
Borrowed from Latin custōdia (“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”), from custōs (“a keeper, watchman, guard”). Doublet of custode.
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَبْس, حِرَاسَة نَظَرِيَّة
- حَبْس (ḥabs)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- حِرَاسَة نَظَرِيَّة (ḥirāsa naẓariyya)state of being imprisoned or detained
Bengali হেফাজত, হেফাজত
- হেফাজত (hephajot)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- হেফাজত (hephajot)state of being imprisoned or detained
Bulgarian опе́ка, съхране́ние
- опе́ка (opéka)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- съхране́ние (săhranénie)temporary possession
- аре́ст (arést)state of being imprisoned or detained
Catalan custòdia, custòdia
- custòdialegal right to take care of something or somebody
- custòdiaFranciscan administrative unit
Chinese Mandarin 撫養權 /抚养权, 監護權 /监护权
- 撫養權 /抚养权 (fǔyǎngquán)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 監護權 /监护权 (jiānhùquán)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 親權 /亲权 (qīnquán)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 保管 (bǎoguǎn)temporary possession
- 保護 /保护 (bǎohù)temporary possession
- 監禁 /监禁 (jiānjìn)state of being imprisoned or detained
- 拘留 (jūliú)state of being imprisoned or detained
Czech vazba, kustodie
- vazbastate of being imprisoned or detained
- kustodieFranciscan administrative unit
Danish forældremyndighed, varetægt
- forældremyndighedlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- varetægtstate of being imprisoned or detained
Dutch hoederecht
- hoederechtlegal right to take care of something or somebody
Finnish huoltajuus, huosta
- huoltajuuslegal right to take care of something or somebody
- huostatemporary possession
- hallussapitotemporary possession
- pidätysstate of being imprisoned or detained
- säilöönottostate of being imprisoned or detained
French garde, détention
- gardelegal right to take care of something or somebody
- détentiontemporary possession
- garde à vuestate of being imprisoned or detained
- détentionstate of being imprisoned or detained
- custodieFranciscan administrative unit
German Sorgerecht, Obhut
- Sorgerechtlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- Obhutlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- Obsorgelegal right to take care of something or somebody
- Verwahrungtemporary possession
- Aufbewahrungtemporary possession
- Haftstate of being imprisoned or detained
- Untersuchungshaftstate of being imprisoned or detained
- KustodieFranciscan administrative unit
Hebrew משמורת
- משמורתFranciscan administrative unit
Hindi अभिरक्षा, हिफ़ाज़त
- अभिरक्षा (abhirakṣā)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- हिफ़ाज़त (hifāzat)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- हिफाजत (hiphājat)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- अभिरक्षा (abhirakṣā)temporary possession
- हिफ़ाज़त (hifāzat)temporary possession
- हिफाजत (hiphājat)temporary possession
- रक्षा (rakṣā)temporary possession
- अभिरक्षण (abhirakṣaṇ)state of being imprisoned or detained
Hungarian őrizet, felügyelet
- őrizetlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- felügyeletlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- (szülői) felügyeleti joglegal right to take care of something or somebody
- gyermekelhelyezéslegal right to take care of something or somebody
- őrizetstate of being imprisoned or detained
- előzetes letartóztatásstate of being imprisoned or detained
- kusztódiaFranciscan administrative unit
Indonesian hak asuh, kustodi
- hak asuhlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- kustodilegal right to take care of something or somebody
Irish cumhdach
- cumhdachtemporary possession
Italian affidamento, custodia
- affidamentolegal right to take care of something or somebody
- custodiaFranciscan administrative unit
Japanese 養育権, 保管
- 養育権 (yōikuken)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 保管 (hokan)temporary possession
- 預かり (azukari)temporary possession
- 拘留 (kōryū)state of being imprisoned or detained
Korean 양육권, 친권
- 양육권 (yang'yukgwon)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 친권 (chin'gwon)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- 보관 (bogwan)temporary possession
- 구류 (guryu)state of being imprisoned or detained
Latin custōdia, custodia
- custōdialegal right to take care of something or somebody
- custodiaFranciscan administrative unit
Norwegian Bokmål omsorgsrett, varetekt
- omsorgsrettlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- varetekttemporary possession
- forvaringtemporary possession
- varetektstate of being imprisoned or detained
Polish opieka, kustodia
- opiekalegal right to take care of something or somebody
- kustodiaFranciscan administrative unit
Portuguese guarda, custódia
- guardalegal right to take care of something or somebody
- custódiatemporary possession
- custódiastate of being imprisoned or detained
- custódiaFranciscan administrative unit
Romanian custodie, păstrare
- custodielegal right to take care of something or somebody
- păstraretemporary possession
- reținerestate of being imprisoned or detained
- areststate of being imprisoned or detained
Russian попече́ние, опе́ка
- попече́ние (popečénije)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- опе́ка (opéka)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- содержа́ние (soderžánije)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- хране́ние (xranénije)temporary possession
- сохране́ние (soxranénije)temporary possession
- заключе́ние (zaključénije)state of being imprisoned or detained
- аре́ст (arést)state of being imprisoned or detained
- содержа́ние под стра́жей (soderžánije pod strážej)state of being imprisoned or detained
- кусто́дия (kustódija)Franciscan administrative unit
Spanish custodia, patria potestad
- custodialegal right to take care of something or somebody
- patria potestadlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- tutelalegal right to take care of something or somebody
- custodiaFranciscan administrative unit
Swedish vårdnad, förvar
- vårdnadlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- förvarstate of being imprisoned or detained
Turkish vesayet, velayet
- vesayetlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- velayetlegal right to take care of something or somebody
- sorumluluklegal right to take care of something or somebody
- emanettemporary possession
- inamtemporary possession
- vediatemporary possession
- gözaltıstate of being imprisoned or detained
- gözaltına alınmakstate of being imprisoned or detained
- alıkonmastate of being imprisoned or detained
Ukrainian опі́ка, кусто́дія
- опі́ка (opíka)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- кусто́дія (kustódija)Franciscan administrative unit
Urdu حِفاظَت, حراست
- حِفاظَت (hifāzat)legal right to take care of something or somebody
- حراست (hirāsat)state of being imprisoned or detained
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
custardy (in some dialects)
Cite this entry
APA
custody. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/custody
MLA
“custody.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/custody. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “custody,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/custody.
Source: custody on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.