Cubbed

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. To trap or confine a young animal in a den or small enclosure; to reduce someone to a subordinate or restrained position; to cause to be isolated or kept out of sight
2. To place a juvenile creature in a protective space; to limit or control movement or freedom of an individual; to sequester or hide away from others
3. To enclose a young beast in a sheltered spot; to curtail independence or autonomy; to seclude or restrict access to a confined area

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "cub" is that it once meant only a young fox. The word spread to cover young lions, bears and other animals later, and the older term "whelp" was largely pushed aside in the process. "Cubbed" is simply the past tense and past participle of the verb formed from it, so its story is that of the noun. The origin is murky. The word may first have meant a den, a sense connected to a group of related English words for enclosed spaces such as "cup", "cupboard", "coffin" and "cove", all of which suggest a hollow or chamber. The idea would then be that a cub was named for the place where it lived, or perhaps for the womb. Some scholars link it to a North Germanic family of words for a young animal, including Old Norse "kobbi", meaning seal, and Danish "kippe", meaning calf.

Synonyms: bred in captivity, raised, reared, bred

Antonyms: wild, free, unbred, untamed