captivate
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captivate¹
- /ˈkæptɪveɪt/ UK
- /ˈkæptəˌveɪt/ US
Where it comes from
Learned borrowing from Late Latin captīvātus, the perfect passive participle of captīvō (“to capture”), from Latin captīvus (“captive, prisoner”) (ultimately from capiō (“to capture, seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to hold; to seize”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs). Equivalent to captive + -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb captivates · captivating · captivated · captivate
- To make (a person, an animal, etc.) a captive; to take prisoner; to capture, to subdue. Hovv ill-beſeeming is it in thy Sex, / To triumph like an Amazonian Trull, / Vpon their VVoes, vvhom Fortune captiuates?
- To capture or control (the mind, etc.); to subdue, to subjugate. Hee hath no skill in Rhetoricke, nor can hee vvith a preface fore-ſtall and captivate the Gentle Readers good vvill: nor careth he greatly to knovve it.
- To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain. Hir ſlippers rauyſhed his eyes, hir bewtye captyuated his mynde, with the swerde ſmote ſhe of his neck.
captivate²
- /ˈkæptɪvət/ UK
- /ˈkæptəˌvət/ US
Where it comes from
See Etymology 1. Equivalent to captive + -ate (adjective-forming suffix)
adjective more captivate · most captivate
- Made captive; taken prisoner; captured, subdued. Tuſh, vvomen haue bene captiuate ere novv.
