LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinefourth declension

captus1

captus m (genitive captūs)
Classical[ˈkap.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkap.tus]

Meaning

  1. masculinea taking, seizing
  2. masculinethe power to comprehend, capacity

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecaptuscaptūs
genitivecaptūscaptuum
dativecaptuīcaptibus
accusativecaptumcaptūs
ablativecaptūcaptibus
vocativecaptuscaptūs

captus, ūs, m. capio.
I. A taking, seizing; that which is taken or grasped (so post-Aug. and rare): flos (ederae) trium digitorum captu, i. e. as much as one can grasp with three fingers, a pinch, Plin. 24, 10, 47, § 79: piscium vel avium vel missilium, a draught, Dig. 18, 1, 8, § 1: bonorum, Val. Max. 3, 3, ext. 7.—
II. (Acc. to capio, II. B. 4.) Power of comprehension, capacity, notion (this is the usu. class. signif. in the phrase ut est captus alicujus, according to one's capacity or notion): hic Geta, ut captus est servorum, non malus Neque iners, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 34 (ut se habet condicio servorum, Don.); so Afran. ap. Don. ib.: civitas ampla atque florens, ut est captus Germanorum, according to German notions (ὥς γε κατὰ Γερμανούς, Metaphr.), Caes. B. G. 4, 3: Graeci homines non satis animosi, prudentes, ut est captus hominum, satis, for this people's capacity, Cic. Tusc. 2, 27, 65.—With pro or supra (post-class.): pro captu, Gell. 1, 9, 3; App. Mag. p. 277; Cod. Th. 6, 4, 21, § 5: SVPRA CAPTVM, Inscr. Grut. 1120, 7. —
B. Of physical power (very rare): iracundissimae ac pro corporis captu pugnacissimae sunt apes, in proportion to or in view of their bodily size, Sen. Clem. 1, 19, 2.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Italic*kapjō
  4. Archaic Latinkapiō
  5. Latincaptus

Proto-Indo-European *-tus Proto-Italic *-tus Latin -tus Latin captus From capiō + -tus (forming action nouns).

In English words that came into English from captus

  • chase*captiāre
  • captivecaptīvus
  • captivitycaptīvitās
  • captivatecaptīvātus
verbfirst/second-declension participle
captus2
captus (feminine capta, neuter captum)
Classical[ˈkap.tʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈkap.tus]

Meaning

  1. participlecaptured, having been captured, seized, having been seized, taken, having been taken
  2. participletaken on, having been taken on
  3. participletaken in, having been taken in, understood, having been understood
  4. participleafflicted, having been afflicted
  5. noun from verbparticiplea prisoner, captive

captus, a, um, Part., from capio.

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Indo-European*kaptós
  4. Proto-Italic*kaptos
  5. Latincaptus

Inherited from Proto-Italic *kaptos, from Proto-Indo-European *kaptós (“seized, held”). Synchronically, perfect passive participle of capiō (“seize, take”).

Descendants
  • Italiancatto

Quick answers

What does captus mean in Latin?
captus, a noun, means “a taking, seizing; the power to comprehend, capacity”.
What is the genitive of captus?
The genitive singular is captūs. captus is masculine, fourth declension.
How do you pronounce captus?
In classical Latin, [ˈkap.tʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈkap.tus].
Where does captus come from?
Proto-Indo-European *kap- → Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti → Proto-Italic *kapjō → Archaic Latin kapiō → Latin captus.
Which English words come from captus?
English words that go back to Latin captus include chase, captive, captivity and captivate.