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hostage
hostage person held by another as a guarantee that certain actions or promises will or will not be carried out. During periods of internal turmoil, insurgents often seize hostages; recent examples include seizures of Americans and other foreigners by militants in Iran (1979-81) and Lebanon (1980s). Military forces often take hostages among civilians in an occupied country, in order to ensure the delivery of requisitions, to discourage hostile acts, or to take reprisals for hostile acts committed by unknown persons. In World War II, thousands of hostages were executed throughout Europe by the German authorities in an attempt to crush resistance movements. The Geneva Convention of 1949 forbade entirely the taking of civilian hostages. Criminals, especially when confronted by police, sometimes take hostages as "human shields" or as bargaining assets. In 1998 it was revealed that Israel was holding Lebanese hostages solely for use in prisoner exchanges or other deals with Lebanese guerrillas; their detainment was condoned by Israel's supreme court.
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"hostage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "hostage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-hostage.html "hostage." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-hostage.html |
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hostage
hos·tage / ˈhästij/ • n. a person seized or held as security for the fulfillment of a condition: the kidnapper had instructed the hostage's family to drop the ransom at noon. PHRASES: hold (or take) someone hostage seize and keep someone as a hostage: they were held hostage by armed rebels taken hostage at gunpoint. a hostage to fortune an act, commitment, or remark that is regarded as unwise because it invites trouble or could prove difficult to live up to: making objectives explicit is to give a hostage to fortune. |
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Cite this article
"hostage." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "hostage." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-hostage.html "hostage." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-hostage.html |
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hostage
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "hostage." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "hostage." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-hostage.html T. F. HOAD. "hostage." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-hostage.html |
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hostage
hostage n. a person seized and held as a pledge that certain terms or agreements will be kept.
According to the rules of the Geneva Conventions, the taking of hostages is a forbidden act. |
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"hostage." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "hostage." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-hostage.html "hostage." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-hostage.html |
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hostage
hostage
•passage
•message, presage
•sausage • dosage
•misusage, usage
•cartage
•advantage, vantage
•curettage • percentage • vestige
•freightage • wastage
•mintage, vintage
•hermitage • baronetage • heritage
•cottage, pottage, wattage
•hostage
•portage, shortage
•outage • dotage • voltage • postage
•anecdotage • footage • frontage
•pilotage • parentage • Carthage
•ravage, savage
•salvage • selvedge • pavage • cleavage
•lovage • language • sandwich
•envisage, visage
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Cite this article
"hostage." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "hostage." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-hostage.html "hostage." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-hostage.html |
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