After the war, international war crimes trials were held in Germany and Japan, based on the concept that acts committed in violation of the fundamental principles of the laws of war were punishable as war crimes. As a prisoner of war, he was interrogated by his enemy captors. One who has been captured while fighting under the banner of some state. The most famous of these, Hugo Grotius, stated in his De jure belli ac pacis (1625; On the Law of War and Peace) that victors had the right to enslave their enemies, but he advocated exchange and ransom instead. In the strictest sense it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by broader definition it has also included guerrillas, civilians who take up arms against an enemy openly, or noncombatants associated with a military force. Omissions? ", Cite this page: N., Pam M.S., "PRISONER OF WAR (POW)," in, BIOGRAPHICAL EVALUATION AND SCREENING OF TROOPS, AMERICAN ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH, PHYSICAL EDUCA, https://psychologydictionary.org/prisoner-of-war-pow/, Symptoms of Dementia Related Behavioral Psychosis. Rights. POW definition: A POW is the same as a → prisoner of war . A prisoner of war (POW, PoW, or PW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict.. abbreviation for prisoner of war : He was a POW during the Vietnam war. You can also look at abbreviations and acronyms with word POW/MIA in term. Abbreviations POW, PW. In 1874 a conference at Brussels prepared a declaration relative to prisoners of war, but it was not ratified. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Learn more. Germany treated its British, French, and American prisoners comparatively well but treated Soviet, Polish, and other Slavic POWs with genocidal severity. initialism (prisoner of war) prisonnier de guerre, prisonnière de guerre nm, nf : My grandfather was held as a POW in World War II. The captive was no longer to be treated as a piece of property to be disposed of at the whim of the victor but was merely to be removed from the fight. Information and translations of prisoner-of-war in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. POW - prisoners of war. The protections given prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions remain with them throughout their captivity and cannot be taken from them by the captor or given up by the prisoners themselves. “Prisoners of war” are combatants who have fallen into the hands of the enemy, or specific non-combatants to whom the status of prisoner of war is granted by international humanitarian law. Prisoner of war (POW), any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war… Page Link noun (pl. prisoner of war. Wikipedia . Soon after the end of World War II the Geneva Convention of 1929 was revised and set forth in the Geneva Convention of 1949. prisoner-of-war camp; See prisoner of war in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. In the strictest sense it is applied only to members of regularly organized armed forces, but by broader definition it has also included guerrillas, civilians who take up arms against an enemy openly, or noncombatants associated with a military force. Define pow. n noun: Refers to person, place, thing, quality, etc. prisoner of war A detained person as defined in Articles 4 and 5 of the Geneva Convention Relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War of August 12, 1949. pow synonyms, pow pronunciation, pow translation, English dictionary definition of pow. A prisoner of war is a person held by the opposing side in a military conflict. As mentioned above, POW is used as an acronym in text messages to represent Prisoner Of War. From this point on the treatment of prisoners generally improved. During the conflict prisoners might be repatriated or delivered to a neutral nation for custody. This page is about the meanings of the acronym/abbreviation/shorthand POW in the Governmental field in general and in the Military terminology in particular. This page is all about the acronym of POW and its meanings as Prisoner Of War. A prisoner of war (POW, PoW, PW, P/W, WP, PsW, enemy prisoner of war (EPW) or "missing-captured") is a person, whether combatant or non-combatant, who is held in custody by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. a serviceman, captured by an enemy in time of war, (Abbrev.) Define prisoners of war. Nowadays prisoners of war have rights that are stated in the Geneva Conventions and other laws of war. and North England. Noun . Medical Definition of POW Powassan (virus) According to a Center for Disease Control spokeswoman, POW virus can infect the central nervous system and cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) … During World War I, however, when POWs were numbered in the millions, there were many charges on both sides that the rules were not being faithfully observed. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/prisoner-of-war, prisoner of war (POW) - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). noun. Updates? pow: [noun] acronym for "prisoner of war." Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Enslavement of enemy soldiers in Europe declined during the Middle Ages, but ransoming was widely practiced and continued even as late as the 17th century. Please note that Prisoners Of War is not the only meaning of POW. The MIA/POW acronym/abbreviation definition. prisoners of war) (abbreviation POW) jump to other results. prisoner of war listed as POW Looking for abbreviations of POW? A prisoner of war is defined as a "veteran who was taken and held prisoner by a hostile foreign force while participating in an armed conflict as a member of the United States Armed Forces." Any … Learn more. A prisoner of war (short form: POW) is a non-combatant who has been captured by the forces of the enemy, during an armed conflict. Found 92 sentences matching phrase "prisoner of war".Found in 17 ms. But observance of the principles in the American Civil War (1861–65) and in the Franco-German War (1870–71) left much to be desired, and numerous attempts were made in the latter half of the century to improve the lot of wounded soldiers and of prisoners. prisoner of war n a person, esp. prisoners of war synonyms, prisoners of war pronunciation, prisoners of war translation, English dictionary definition of prisoners of war. What is the Prisoner of War Recognition Supplement? Corrections? ‘You were a prisoner of war for more than five years during the Vietnam War.’ ‘His son, also called Tommy, served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War and was a Japanese prisoner of war for three years.’ ‘When he considered it, he now was glad that he had been a prisoner of war in Russia after the First World War.’ Definition of POW in the Abbreviations.com acronyms and abbreviations directory. In the 18th century a new attitude of morality in the law of nations, or international law, had a profound effect upon the problem of prisoners of war. Definition of prisoner-of-war in the Definitions.net dictionary. Looking for abbreviations of POW? POW; Derived terms . As a prisoner of war, he was interrogated by his enemy captors. It applies to all surviving former Australian POWs from World War 2 and the Korean War. The Government & Military Acronym / Slang MIA/POW means... AcronymsAndSlang. prisoners of war A person taken by or surrendering to enemy forces in wartime. The MIA/POW meaning is Missing In Action/Prisoner Of War. Prisoner of war (POW), any person captured or interned by a belligerent power during war. As warfare changed, so did the treatment afforded captives and members of defeated nations or tribes. Definition for pow (2 of 3) pow2 [ poh, pou ] noun Scot. They were usually killed or forced to be slaves. Military captives in the War of 1812 posed a particular problem for both sides. Sometimes, as in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, they are expressly included among those to whom the ordinary military law applies; elsewhere, special regulations concerning their behaviour and trial must be…. According to the governmental entities a prisoner of war (POW, PoW, or PW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. Negotiated in partial response to the abuses of German POWs at the hands of the Allied Powers after the unconditional surrender of Germany, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 provide a framework of protective rights of POWs. Before the Winter War (1939–1940), the Soviet Union established the main camp for Finnish POW within the former monastery near Gryazovets in Vologda Oblast, Russia.NKVD planned for lots of POWs in the war and planned nine camps to handle about 25,000 men, however during the whole Winter War there were about 900 Finnish POW, about 600 of which were placed in the Gryazivets camp. Looking for online definition of POW or what POW stands for? WORD OF THE DAY. Combatants are trained to face the atrocities and difficulties of warfare and are expected to manage and cope with the atmosphere during an armed conflict. A prisoner of war (short form: POW) is a non-combatant who has been captured by the forces of the enemy, during an armed conflict.In past centuries, prisoners had no rights. Meaning of prisoner-of-war. As mentioned above, POW is used as an acronym in text messages to represent Prisoners Of War. POW. No form of coercion…, As another bitterly cold Korean winter congealed operations on the ground, repatriation of prisoners of war (POWs) became the most intractable issue at P’anmunjŏm. 2. Information and translations of prisoner of war in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions … Login . He is protected from the moment... Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Definition:* Sample sentence: All definitions are approved by humans before publishing. Winter War. It is prisoner of war. POW - prisoner of war. In past centuries, prisoners had no rights. prisoner of war (plural prisoners of war) A soldier or combatant who is captured by the enemy. PRISONER OF WAR. 2. 1. Combatant and POW Status Combatants are persons who directly participate in hostilities; they are legally allowed to conduct warfare under the umbrella of international humanitarian law (IHL). We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website, including to provide targeted advertising and track usage. The third Geneva Convention of 1949 provides the basic framework of protection accorded to a prisoner of war. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). PRISONER OF WAR (POW): "Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) was a prisoner of war in the notorious "Hanoi Hilton" in North Vietnam for seven years during the Vietnam war. Topics War and conflict c2 See more words with the same meaning: military (related to) . Definition of prisoner-of-war noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. In the 16th and early 17th centuries some European political and legal philosophers expressed their thoughts about the amelioration of the effects of capture upon prisoners. The women, children, and elders of the defeated tribe or nation were frequently disposed of in similar fashion. Hugo Grotius, in his On the Law of War and Peace (1625), advocated prisoner exchange or ransom instead of enslavement. Definition of prisoner of war in the Definitions.net dictionary. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Japanese prisoners of war captured by the U.S. military during World War II, Okinawa, June 1945. Prisoner of war definition: Prisoners of war are soldiers who have been captured by their enemy during a war and kept... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples Psychology Definition of PRISONER OF WAR (POW): A prisoner of war is a person held by the opposing side in a military conflict. The initial assumption by the negotiators was that they would follow the revised Geneva Convention of 1949, which required any “detaining…, Also among those who fall under military jurisdiction are prisoners of war. A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. Mon grand-père a été détenu comme prisonnier de guerre pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Laws exist that claim to ensure prisoners of war are treated humanely and diplomatically. prisoner of war translation in English-Afrikaans dictionary. (especially in children's cartoons) a word that represents the noise of an explosion or a gun…. a person, esp a serviceman, captured by an enemy in time of warAbbreviation: POW. Civilians in the defeated community were only infrequently taken prisoner, for as captives they were sometimes a burden upon the victor. The idea was generally taking hold that in war no destruction of life or property beyond that necessary to decide the conflict was sanctioned. There may be more than one definition of POW, so check it out on our dictionary for all meanings of POW one by one. Few are able to succeed. Prisoners of war are nominally protected by conventions of war adopted in International forums, but, with the exception of a few countries, are in fact punished severely for their actions. Slang interj. Définition prisoners of war dans le dictionnaire anglais de définitions de Reverso, synonymes, voir aussi 'take no prisoners',prisoner',prioress',prison', expressions, conjugaison, exemples The United States and Great Britain generally maintained the standards set by the Hague and Geneva conventions in their treatment of Axis POWs. The meaning of MIA/POW abbreviation is "Missing In Action/Prisoner Of War". In particular, one who, while engaged in combat under orders of his or her government, is captured by the armed forces of the enemy. During World War II millions of persons were taken prisoner under widely varying circumstances and experienced treatment that ranged from excellent to barbaric. It continued the concept expressed earlier that prisoners were to be removed from the combat zone and be humanely treated without loss of citizenship. Meaning of prisoner of war. What does prisoner-of-war mean? prisoner of war camp synonyms, prisoner of war camp pronunciation, prisoner of war camp translation, English dictionary definition of prisoner of war camp. Définitions de Prisoner_of_War, synonymes, antonymes, dérivés de Prisoner_of_War, dictionnaire analogique de Prisoner_of_War (anglais) It is prisoner of war. The laws apply from the moment a prisoner is captured until one is released or repatriated. Enrich your vocabulary with the English Definition dictionary The Treaty of Westphalia (1648), which released prisoners without ransom, is generally taken as marking the end of the era of widespread enslavement of prisoners of war. Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012. prisoners of war listed as POW Looking for abbreviations of POW? If permitted to live, the prisoner was considered by his captor to be merely a piece of movable property, a chattel. The Soviets replied in kind and consigned hundreds of thousands of German POWs to the labour camps of the Gulag, where most of them died. Looking for abbreviations of POW? He is protected from the moment he falls into the power of an enemy until his final release and repatriation. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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