capio

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [ˈka.pi.oː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.pi.o]^[1]

Forms

capiō (present infinitive capere, perfect active cēpī, supine captum); third (-iō variant) conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kap-i- (“to seize”).^[2] De Vaan traces this to Proto-Indo-European *kh₂p-i-, but allows that the root may be non-Indo-European *kap-.^[2] The LIV, as reported by Wiktionary, reconstructs a present *kapyéti, while Schrijver and de Vaan prefer an old athematic i-present.^[1] Cognate with Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō, “to gulp down”), Ancient Greek κώπη (kṓpē, “handle, grip”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐍆𐌾𐌰𐌽 (hafjan, “to lift”) and Old English hebban (English heave).^[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest example is kapia(d) on the Old Latin Forum inscription.^[2] In literature it is common from Plautus, who has the old future capsō.^[3] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The basic sense was to grasp with the hand.^[3] From it came the senses of taking food, putting on clothing, arresting a person, catching game and capturing towns and spoils.^[3] It also meant to occupy a position, to receive or get money and property, to choose or elect, to hold or contain, and to take in with the mind, to understand.^[3][1] The passive could mean to be captivated or disabled.^[1][3]

Döderlein contrasts it with sūmō, taking something up in order to use it, while capere is laying hold of something in order to possess it.^[5] The compounds have -cipiō, as in accipiō and recipiō, and the participle captus is the source of captīvus and captūra, whence English capture.^[2][6] capāx “roomy, able to hold” gave English capacity and, through Late Latin capābilis, English capable.^[6] The verb lives on in Italian capire (“to understand”) and Spanish caber (“to fit”).^[1]

Timeline

• 6th century BC – kapia(d) on the Forum inscription.^[2]
• c. 450 BC – the Twelve Tables order a defendant to be seized (capito).^[3][4]
• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of taking things in the hand and capturing men.^[3][4]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of capturing towns.^[3][4]
• 1540s – English capture is borrowed from French, ultimately from captūra.^[6]

Meanings

Verb

1. To take into the hand, take hold of; to take up (arms).^[3]
2. To put on (clothing, armour); to take (food or drink).^[3]
3. To seize, arrest (a person).^[3]
4. To catch (game or fish); to gather (crops).^[3]
5. To capture (men, towns, booty) in war.^[3]
6. To occupy, take up (a position).^[3]
7. To get, receive (money, property); to choose or elect.^[1][7]
8. To hold, contain.^[1][8]
9. To take in with the mind, understand.^[1]
10. To captivate, charm.^[1]

Word family

• accipiō
• antecapiō
• anticipō
• capābilis
• capāx
• capessō
• captiō
• captīvus
• captor
• captrīx
• captūra
• captus

Related words

• English capture
• English capable

Usage notes

A rare noun capiō (genitive capiōnis) “a taking” was used by the jurists, chiefly in ūsūcapiō, acquiring ownership by long possession.^[3][7]

References

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
6. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.