ostaggio
/osˈtad.d͡ʒo/masculine
The English word hostage is ostaggio in Italian.
ostaggio refers to a person given as a pledge or security.
Meaning: person given as a pledge or security (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of ostaggio is ostaggi.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable: /osˈtad.dʒo/.
Did you know?
- In historical texts, an ostaggio was often a child of a noble family sent to a foreign court to ensure peace, a practice much more common than the modern concept of a kidnapped victim.
- When discussing the release of an ostaggio, Italians often use the term rilascio, which is the same word used for the 'release' of a new movie or album.
- The term ostaggio can be used in an abstract sense in Italian economics to describe a country that is ostaggio dell'inflazione, meaning it has no power to control its own rising prices.
Examples in context
- È il mio ostaggio.He's my hostage.This sentence shows how to use the form ostaggio.Tatoeba #8485836 by Guybrush88, translation #8480274 by CH
- Tom è un ostaggio.Tom is a hostage.This sentence uses the form ostaggio.Tatoeba #13935916 by Guybrush88, translation #11955546 by CK
- Io sono un ostaggio?Am I a hostage?Tatoeba #13935918 by Guybrush88, translation #11877480 by CK
- Il criminale ha preso degli ostaggi durante la rapina.The criminal took hostages during the robbery.
- Le forze speciali hanno liberato i prigionieri tenuti ostaggio nel palazzo.The special forces freed the hostages held captive in the building.
- I malviventi hanno tenuto alcuni ostaggi prigionieri per giorni.The criminals held some hostages captive for days.
- 17 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo and Martina are discussing a news report about a crime.
- MatteoHanno preso un ostaggio nel centro.They took a hostage in the city center.
- MartinaÈ un ostaggio innocente?Is it an innocent hostage?
- MatteoNon lo sappiamo ancora, Martina.We don't know yet, Martina.
- MartinaSpero che l'ostaggio stia bene.I hope the hostage is okay.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hostage” translations and entries ostaggio, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
