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hostage

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Hostage

Main Entry:: hos·tage
Pronunciation:: \ˈhäs-tij\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from hoste
Date:: 13th century

1 a: a person held by one party in a conflict as a pledge pending the fulfillment of an agreement b: a person taken by force to secure the taker's demands2: one that is involuntarily controlled by an outside influence

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