captivate

views updated May 29 2018

cap·ti·vate / ˈkaptəˌvāt/ • v. [tr.] attract and hold the interest and attention of; charm: he was captivated by her beauty.DERIVATIVES: cap·ti·vat·ing·ly / -ˌvāting/ adv.cap·ti·va·tion / ˌkaptəˈvāshən/ n.

captivate

views updated Jun 08 2018

captivate †make captive, capture; enthral. XVI. f. pp. stem of late L. captivāre (after captivate pp. XIV), f. captīvus; see next and -ATE 3.
So captive (taken) prisoner. XIV. — L. captīvus, f. capt-, pp. stem of capere take. captivity XIV, captor XVII. capture sb. XVI; hence as vb. XVIII.