capio

See also: Cæpio

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pi.oː/, [ˈkäpioː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pi.o/, [ˈkäːpio]

Etymology 1

From Old Latin kapio, from Proto-Italic *kapjō, from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti, from the root *kap- (“to seize, grab”).

Cognate with Albanian kap, Breton kavout, Welsh cael, English have, heave, Lithuanian kàmpt, Ancient Greek κάπτω (káptō).

Alternative forms

• kapiō (Early Latin)

Verb

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

1. to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm

   Synonyms: expugnō, teneō, obsideo, retineo, comprehendō, dēprehendō, apprehendō, arripiō, prehendō, capessō, occupō, prehēnso

2. to take on, adopt

   capere consilium ― to make a resolution

   • c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico 7.26:

     Cōnsilium cēpērunt ex oppidō profugere

     Adopted a design to flee from the town

3. to hold, to contain

   Synonyms: habeō, contineo, teneō, comprehendō, apprehendō, concipio

4. to occupy, to possess

   Synonyms: potior, possideō, obtineō, compleō, adipīscor, apprehendō, teneō, comprehendō, obsideō

5. to take hold of, to take possession of, to possess

   Metus mē cēpit. ― Fear took hold of me.

6. to take in, to comprehend, to understand

   Synonyms: apprehendō, comprehendō, dēprehendō, accipiō, cognōscō, concipiō, teneō, apīscor, complector, excipiō, exaudiō, cōnsequor

   Antonyms: nesciō, ignōrō

7. to choose, select, elect

   Synonyms: legō, dēligō, ēligō, optō, adoptō, dēsūmō, dēstinō, sēpōnō, sūmō, creō

8. to reach (usually indicates traveling by sea)
9. to take in, to receive
10. to get, to receive (said of property, value, money)
11. to captivate, to charm, to fascinate, to enchant

    Synonyms: indūcō, sēdūcō, dēdūcō, sollicitō, persuādeō, alliciō, pelliciō

Conjugation

Conjugation of capiō (third conjugation iō-variant)
indicative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	capiō	capis	capit	capimus	capitis	capiunt
	imperfect	capiēbam	capiēbās	capiēbat	capiēbāmus	capiēbātis	capiēbant
	future	capiam	capiēs	capiet	capiēmus	capiētis	capient
	perfect	cēpī	cēpistī	cēpit	cēpimus	cēpistis	cēpērunt, cēpēre
	pluperfect	cēperam	cēperās	cēperat	cēperāmus	cēperātis	cēperant
	future perfect	cēperō	cēperis	cēperit	cēperimus	cēperitis	cēperint
	sigmatic future1	capsō	capsis	capsit	capsimus	capsitis	capsint
passive	present	capior	caperis, capere	capitur	capimur	capiminī	capiuntur
	imperfect	capiēbar	capiēbāris, capiēbāre	capiēbātur	capiēbāmur	capiēbāminī	capiēbantur
	future	capiar	capiēris, capiēre	capiētur	capiēmur	capiēminī	capientur
	perfect	captus + present active indicative of sum
	pluperfect	captus + imperfect active indicative of sum
	future perfect	captus + future active indicative of sum
subjunctive		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	capiam	capiās	capiat	capiāmus	capiātis	capiant
	imperfect	caperem	caperēs	caperet	caperēmus	caperētis	caperent
	perfect	cēperim	cēperīs	cēperit	cēperīmus	cēperītis	cēperint
	pluperfect	cēpissem	cēpissēs	cēpisset	cēpissēmus	cēpissētis	cēpissent
	sigmatic aorist1	capsim	capsīs	capsīt	capsīmus	capsītis	capsint
passive	present	capiar	capiāris, capiāre	capiātur	capiāmur	capiāminī	capiantur
	imperfect	caperer	caperēris, caperēre	caperētur	caperēmur	caperēminī	caperentur
	perfect	captus + present active subjunctive of sum
	pluperfect	captus + imperfect active subjunctive of sum
imperative		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
active	present	—	cape	—	—	capite	—
	future	—	capitō	capitō	—	capitōte	capiuntō
passive	present	—	capere	—	—	capiminī	—
	future	—	capitor	capitor	—	—	capiuntor
non-finite forms		active			passive
		present	perfect	future	present	perfect	future
infinitives		capere	cēpisse	captūrum esse	capī	captum esse	captum īrī
participles		capiēns	—	captūrus	—	captus	capiendus, capiundus
verbal nouns		gerund				supine
		genitive	dative	accusative	ablative	accusative	ablative
		capiendī	capiendō	capiendum	capiendō	captum	captū

¹At least one use of the archaic "sigmatic future" and "sigmatic aorist" tenses is attested, which are used by Old Latin writers; most notably Plautus and Terence. The sigmatic future is generally ascribed a future or future perfect meaning, while the sigmatic aorist expresses a possible desire ("might want to").

Derived terms

• accipiō
• anticipō
• auceps
• capābilis
• capāx
• capistrum
• capessō
• capsa
• captiō
• captō
• captor
• captrīx
• capulum
• concipiō
• dēcipiō
• excipiō
• hosticapus
• incipiō
• intercipiō
• mūscipula
• nūncupō
• occipiō
• occupō
• particeps
• percipiō
• posticipō
• praecipiō
• prīnceps
• recipiō
• reciperō
• succipiō
• suscipiō
• urbicapus
• usucapiō

 

Descendants

• Aromanian: ncap, ncãpeari
• Catalan: cabre, caber, capir
• Danish: kapere
• ⇒ English: capture, catch, chase
• Friulian: capî
• Old French:
  • Old French: chavoir, chevoir
  • Old French: chevir, chavir, kevir
    • French: chevir
    • Norman: quevir
• Italian: capire
  • → Ladin: capir
  • → Piedmontese: capì
  • → Venetan: capir
  • → German: kapieren
    • → Polish: kapować
• Occitan: caber
• Old Galician-Portuguese: caber
  • Galician: caber
  • Portuguese: caber
• Romanian: încăpea, încăpere
• Romansch: chapir, capir, tgapeir
• Sicilian: capiri, càpiri
• Spanish: caber

Etymology 2

From the above verb + -iō.

Noun

capiō f (genitive capiōnis); third declension

1. A taking
2. (law) The right of property acquired by prescription

Declension

Third-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	capiō	capiōnēs
genitive	capiōnis	capiōnum
dative	capiōnī	capiōnibus
accusative	capiōnem	capiōnēs
ablative	capiōne	capiōnibus
vocative	capiō	capiōnēs

Synonyms

• (a taking): captus

Further reading

• “capio”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “capio”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• capio in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • to be unable to sleep: somnum capere non posse
    
  • to begin with a thing: initium capere; incipere ab aliqua re
    
  • to derive (great) profit , advantage from a thing: fructum (uberrimum) capere, percipere, consequi ex aliqua re
    
  • to suffer loss, harm, damage: detrimentum capere, accipere, facere
    
  • to derive pleasure from a thing: voluptatem ex aliqua re capere or percipere
    
  • to infer by comparison, judge one thing by another: coniecturam alicuius rei facere or capere ex aliqua re
    
  • to form a plan, make a resolution: consilium capere, inire (de aliqua re, with Gen. gerund., with Inf., more rarely ut)
    
  • I am undecided..: incertus sum, quid consilii capiam
    
  • I forget something: oblivio alicuius rei me capit
    
  • to take a lesson from some one's example: sibi exemplum sumere ex aliquo or exemplum capere de aliquo
    
  • to take pleasure in a thing: laetitiam capere or percipere ex aliqua re
    
  • to be vexed about a thing: dolorem capere (percipere) ex aliqua re
    
  • to take courage: animum capere, colligere
    
  • to be touched with pity: misericordia moveri, capi (De Or. 2. 47)
    
  • the house is not large enough for all: domus non omnes capit (χωρειν)
    
  • to take food: cibum sumere, capere
    
  • let the consuls take measures for the protection of the state: videant or dent operam consules, ne quid res publica detrimenti capiat (Catil. 1. 2. 4)
    
  • to take up one's arms: arma capere, sumere
    
  • to occupy a position (with troops): capere, occupare locum
    
  • to capture horses: capere equos
    
  • to take, storm a town: oppidum capere, expugnare
    
  • to take to flight: fugam capessere, capere
    
  • to take a person alive: capere aliquem vivum
    
  • to capture a boat: navem capere, intercipere, deprehendere
    
  • (ambiguous) bare-headed: capite aperto (opp. operto)
    
  • (ambiguous) with head covered: capite obvoluto
    
  • (ambiguous) to be blind: oculis captum esse (vid. sect. IV. 6., note auribus, oculis...)
    
  • (ambiguous) to be affected by disease in every limb; to be paralysed: omnibus membris captum esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to be overcome by sleep: somno captum, oppressum esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to recklessly hazard one's life: in periculum capitis, in discrimen vitae se inferre
    
  • (ambiguous) to be out of one's mind: mente captum esse, mente alienata esse
    
  • (ambiguous) to be fired with love: amore captum, incensum, inflammatum esse, ardere
    
  • (ambiguous) to subtract something from the capital: de capite deducere (vid. sect. XII. 1, note Notice too...) aliquid
    
  • (ambiguous) to condemn some one to death: capitis or capite damnare aliquem
    
  • (ambiguous) to repeal a death-sentence passed on a person: capitis absolvere aliquem
    
  • (ambiguous) Solon made it a capital offence to..: Solo capite sanxit, si quis... (Att. 10. 1)
    
  • (ambiguous) to suffer capital punishment: supplicio (capitis) affici