English
capture
Capture comes from Middle French capture, and goes back to Latin captūra.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaptūra
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capture
- Englishearliest quotation 1765–1769same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaptūra
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capture
- Englishearliest quotation 1765–1769same form
Earliest quotation: 1765–1769, William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England: “even with regard to captures made at sea”.
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap-
had, head, heavy, except, behavior, catch, capital, achieve, heavily, capacity, captain, chapter, chef, escape, occupation, haven, behave, acceptance, cattle, cabin, chapel, hawk, cape, capitol, precipitation, conceive, capita, mischief, chaplain, conceivable, mischievous, cad, captive, captivity, haves, chieftain, occipital, precipitate, heaviness, capillary, 138 more
through Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti ‘to be grasping’
through Proto-Italic *kapjō ‘to take, seize’
case, chassis, cashier, capsule, cassette, casket, kas, cajon, chasse, 27 more
through Archaic Latin kapiō
acceptable, imperceptible, 23 more
through Latin capiō ‘capture, seize, take’
cash, receive, accept, chase, cop, cable, capable, perception, recipe, reception, recipient, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, deceive, cater, deceit, deceptive, caption, preoccupation, receivable, perceptible, sashay, captivate, preceptor, captor, 25 more
Today it means
noun An act of capturing; a seizing by force or stratagem.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Latin captūra / capture