custody

[ kuhs-tuh-dee ]

noun, plural cus·to·dies.

• keeping; guardianship; care.
• the keeping or charge of officers of the law: The car was held in the custody of the police.
• imprisonment; legal restraint: He was taken into custody.
• Also called child custody. Law. the right of determining the residence, protection, care, and education of a minor child or children, especially in a divorce or separation.