Where does “custody” come from?

Custody derives from Latin custodia, formed from Latin custōs meaning guard or guardian, with the noun-forming suffix -ia inherited from Ancient Greek -ία and ultimately Proto-Indo-European -h₂.

custody (English): The legal right to take care of something or...

Definitions

  1. The legal right to take care of something or...

Ancestry of “custody”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincustōdiaprotection, safekeeping
2Latin-iaUsed to form a feminine abstract noun, usually...
3Latin-iusforming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter...
4Proto-Italic-jōsForms comparative adjectives
5Proto-Indo-European-yósCreates adjectives from noun or verb stems

Words derived from “custody”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European -yós →Every word from Latin -ia →Every word from Latin -ius →
custody — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer