capio
Pronunciation
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
- To take into the hand, take hold of; to take up (arms).[3]
- To put on (clothing, armour); to take (food or drink).[3]
- To seize, arrest (a person).[3]
- To catch (game or fish); to gather (crops).[3]
- To capture (men, towns, booty) in war.[3]
- To occupy, take up (a position).[3]
- To get, receive (money, property); to choose or elect.[1][7]
- To hold, contain.[1][8]
- To take in with the mind, understand.[1]
- To captivate, charm.[1]
Word family
Related words
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
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
- ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
- ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
- ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- ^ Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.