# captivate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈkæptɪveɪt/ · frequency rank #51,595

## Definitions
1. To make (a person, an animal, etc.) a captive; to take prisoner; to capture, to subdue.
2. To capture or control (the mind, etc.); to subdue, to subjugate.
3. To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain.

## Etymology
Learned borrowing from Late Latin captīvātus, the perfect passive participle of captīvō (“to capture”), from Latin captīvus (“captive, prisoner”) (ultimately from capiō (“to capture, seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to hold; to seize”)) + -ō (suffix forming first-conjugation verbs). Equivalent to captive + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/captivate