cage
UK[keɪdʒ]US[keɪdʒ]
n
a structure made of bars or wires for confining birds or animals
n
any similar structure used for confinement or protection
v
to put or keep in or as if in a cage
Etymology
The word 'cage' entered English in the 13th century from Old French 'cage', meaning 'prison, retreat, hideout'. The Old French term derived from Latin 'cavea', which signified a 'hollow place, enclosure for animals, coop, hive, or a spectator enclosure in a theater'. This Latin root 'cavea' is itself related to 'cavus', meaning 'hollow'. The conceptual journey is from the general idea of a hollow or enclosed space in Latin, to a specific enclosure for confinement in Old French, and finally to its modern English meaning of a barred structure for animals or birds. The logic of the word's evolution is a consistent focus on an artificial, confining enclosure.
Analysis
The word 'cage' is a simplex loanword from Latin via French. Its spelling and form are not productively composed of smaller, independent morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The bird was singing happily in its cage.
He felt a deep sense of despair, as if he were in a gilded cage.
Please remember to cage the rabbits before nightfall.