I.v. freq. act. [capio].
I. Prop., to strive to seize, lay hold of a thing with zeal, longing, etc., to catch at, snatch, chase, etc.: “(syn. aucupor, venor): Tantalus a labris sitiens fugientia captat Flumina,” Hor. S. 1, 1, 68; so id. ib. 1, 2, 108; Ov. M. 3, 432; 10, 42; cf.: “aquam hianti ore,” Curt. 4, 16, 12; and: “imbrem ore hianti,” id. 4, 7, 14: “laqueo volucres, harundine pisces,” Tib. 2, 6, 23; Verg. G. 1, 139; Hor. Epod. 2, 36; Ov. M. 8, 217; cf.: “(meretrices) occurrebant amatoribus: Eos captabant,” Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 31: “muscas,” Suet. Dom. 3: “modo cervicem, modo crura,” Ov. M. 9, 37: “collum,” id. ib. 3, 428: “patulis naribus auras,” Verg. G. 1, 376; Ov. M. 7, 557; 4, 72: “plumas ore,” id. ib. 8, 198: “umbras et frigora,” Verg. E. 2, 8; cf. id. ib. 1, 53: “auribus aëra,” to catch the breeze, id. A. 3, 514: “captata Hesperie,” watched, sought for, Ov. M. 11, 768.—
II. Figuratively.
A. In gen., to strive after, long for, desire earnestly, try or seek to obtain (syn.: consector, appeto, aucupor; “class.): sermonem,” to watch, listen to, Plaut. Cas. 2, 8, 8; cf. Ter. Phorm. 5, 6, 29: “sonitum aure admota,” Liv. 38, 7, 8; “solitudines,” Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63: “quid consili,” to adopt, Plaut. As. 2, 2, 91; Ter. And. 1, 1, 143; 2, 4, 1: “assensiones alicujus,” Cic. Inv. 1, 31, 51: “plausus,” to covet, id. Pis. 25, 60: “misericordiam,” id. Phil. 2, 34, 86; id. Inv. 1, 55, 106: “voluptatem,” id. Fin. 1, 7, 24 (opp. praeterire): “risus,” to provoke, strive to excite, id. Tusc. 2, 7, 17; Quint. 6, 3, 26; Phaedr. 1, 29, 1: “favorem,” Quint. 6, 1, 25; Suet. Tib. 57: nomen imperatorium, D. Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 4: “incerta pro certis,” Sall. C. 20, 2; cf.: “nubes et inania,” Hor. A. P. 230: “libertatis auram,” Liv. 3, 37, 1; cf.: “auram incertae famae,” Curt. 4, 5, 8: “occasionem,” to watch for, Liv. 38, 44, 3; Suet. Caes. 7: “tempus rei,” Quint. 4, 2, 70; Liv. 4, 36, 3: “tempestates,” id. 5, 6, 4: “brevitatem,” Quint. 10, 1, 32: “elegantiam actoris,” id. 11, 3, 184: “leporem propositionum ac partitionum,” id. 11, 1, 53: “solas sententias multas,” id. 8, 5, 30: “auctoritatem contemptu ceterorum,” id. 12, 3, 12; 9, 2, 98; cf. id. 11, 3, 142: “vox non captata, sed velut oblata,” id. 9, 3, 73. —With inf. as object: “prendique et prendere captans,” Ov. M. 10, 58: “laedere aliquem,” Phaedr. 4, 8, 6: “opprimere,” id. 5, 3, 2: “acquirere voluptates,” Col. 8, 11, 1.— “With a clause as object: cum, an marem editura esset variis captaret (i. e. magno studio quaereret) ominibus,” Suet. Tib. 14.—
B. In partic.
1. (Acc. to capio, II. 2.) To seek to catch or take one in a crafty manner, to lie in wait for, seek to entrap, to entice, allure (constr. quem, quod, quem cujus rei, cum quo, inter se, or absol.): “magnum hoc vitium vino'st: Pedes captat primum, luctator dolosu'st,” Plaut. Ps. 5, 1, 6; cf. “captatio: quā viā te captent, eādem ipsos capi?” Ter. Hec. 1, 1, 16: “tu si me impudicitiae captas, capere non potes,” Plaut. Am. 2, 2, 189; 1, 1, 266; 2, 2, 163; id. Men. 4, 2, 83: “astutemihi captandum'st cum illoc,” id. Most. 5, 1, 21: “quid ad illum qui te captare vult, utrum tacentem irretiat te an loquentem?” Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 94: “est quiddam quod suā vi nos adliciat ad sese, non emolumento captans aliquo, sed trahens suā dignitate,” id. Inv. 2, 52, 157: “hostem insidiis,” Liv. 2, 50, 3: “inter se,” id. 44, 24, 8; 44, 25, 12: verba (to interpret sophistically; cf. captio), Dig. 10, 4, 19.—Absol.: contra est eundum cautim et captandum mihi, Att. ap. Non. p. 512, 12; p. 512, 50: in colloquiis insidiari et captare, Liv. 32, 33, 11 ( = captionibus uti, studere fallere).—Hence,
2. A standing expression, to practise legacy - hunting, to hunt for legacies (aliquem or aliquod): “testamenta senum,” Hor. S. 2, 5, 23; cf. “hereditatem,” Dig. 29, 6, 1: “homines,” Petr. 116, 6; Mart. 6, 63; Plin. Ep. 2, 20, 7; 4, 2, 2; Juv. 16, 56 al.; cf. captator and captatorius.—
