hostage: [13] Despite its similarity, hostage is not related to any of the English words host. It comes via Old French hostage from *obsidāticum, a Vulgar Latin derivative of late Latin obsidātus ‘condition of being held as a security for the fulfilment of an undertaking’. This is turn was based on Latin obses ‘hostage’, a compound noun formed from the prefix ob- ‘before’ and the base of sedēre ‘sit’ (English obsess [16] is made up of virtually the same elements). The use of hostage for the ‘person held’ was established before English took it over. => obsess
hostage (n.)
late 13c., from Old French hostage "person given as security or hostage" (12c., Modern French ôtage), either from hoste "guest" (see host (n.1)) via notion of "a lodger held by a landlord as security," or from Late Latin obsidanus "condition of being held as security," from obses "hostage," from ob- "before" + base of sedere "to sit" [OED]. Modern political/terrorism sense is from 1970.
雙語例句
1. The class was held hostage by a hooded gunman.
全班同學被一個蒙麵的持槍歹徒劫為人質。
來自柯林斯例句
2. The hostage release could clear the decks for war.
人質的獲釋可能會為發動戰爭掃清障礙。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The reporting of the hostage story was fair, if sometimes overblown.
盡管這篇關於人質的報道有些誇大其詞，但還算公正。
來自柯林斯例句
4. The former hostage is in remarkably good shape considering his ordeal.
想想人質曾遭受的折磨，獲救後其身體狀況已經是出奇地好了。
來自柯林斯例句
5. There are conflicting reports about the identity of the hostage.