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capture

 - 4 dictionary results

cap⋅ture

[kap-cher] verb, -tured, -tur⋅ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1. to take by force or stratagem; take prisoner; seize: The police captured the burglar.
2. to gain control of or exert influence over: an ad that captured our attention; a TV show that captured 30% of the prime-time audience.
3. to take possession of, as in a game or contest: to capture a pawn in chess.
4. to represent or record in lasting form: The movie succeeded in capturing the atmosphere of Berlin in the 1930s.
5. Computers.
a. to enter (data) into a computer for processing or storage.
b. to record (data) in preparation for such entry.
–noun
6. the act of capturing.
7. the thing or person captured.
8. Physics. the process in which an atomic or nuclear system acquires an additional particle.
9. Crystallography. substitution in a crystal lattice of a trace element for an element of lower valence.

Origin:
1535–45; < MF < L captūra, equiv. to capt(us) taken (ptp. of capere to take) + -ūra -ure


cap⋅tur⋅a⋅ble, adjective
cap⋅tur⋅er, noun


1. catch, arrest, snare, apprehend, grab, nab. 6. seizure, arrest, apprehension.


1, 6. release.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To capture
cap·ture   (kāp'chər)   
tr.v.   cap·tured, cap·tur·ing, cap·tures
  1. To take captive, as by force or craft; seize.

  2. To gain possession or control of, as in a game or contest: capture the queen in chess; captured the liberal vote.

  3. To attract and hold: tales of adventure that capture the imagination.

  4. To succeed in preserving in lasting form: capture a likeness in a painting.

n.  
  1. The act of catching, taking, or winning, as by force or skill.

  2. One that has been seized, caught, or won; a catch or prize.

  3. Physics The phenomenon in which an atom or a nucleus absorbs a subatomic particle, often with the subsequent emission of radiation.


[From French, capture, from Old French, from Latin captūra, a catching of animals, from captus, past participle of capere, to seize; see kap- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

capture  (n.)
1541, from M.Fr. capture "a taking," from L. captura "a taking," from captus (see captive). The verb is 1795; in chess, checkers, etc., 1820.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

capture cap·ture (kāp'chər)
n.
The act of catching, taking, or holding a particle or impulse.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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