Encage

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To confine or imprison within bars or a restricted space, as one would trap a wild animal
2. To confine an entity within a restrictive structure or to imprison it within an enclosure, similar to placing creatures in a cage
3. To place or hold something within a boundary or framed space to prevent its escape or movement, often used in reference to animals

Etymology: "Encage" is a plain formation: the prefix "en-", meaning "in" or "into", attached to "cage." To encage something is to put it into a cage, and the verb followed the same pattern as many other English verbs built this way, such as "enclose," "entrap" and "enrich," where "en-" turns a noun into a verb meaning to place something within it. "Cage" itself came into English from Old French "cage," which in turn came from Latin "cavea," meaning an enclosure, hollow or pen. That Latin word was built on "cavus," meaning hollow, which is also the source of "cave." So the shared idea behind "cage" and "cave" is simply a hollow space that holds something inside.

Synonyms: confine, trap, capture, ensnare, imprison

Antonyms: release, liberate, free, unshackle, discharge