cap´tur|er

cap|ture «KAP chuhr», verb, -tured, -tur|ing, noun.

–v.t.

1. to make a prisoner of; take by force, skill, or trickery; seize: »

We captured butterflies with a net.

SYNONYM(S): apprehend. See syn. under catch. (Cf. ↑catch)

2. to attract and hold; catch and keep: »

The magician's tricks captured the boy's attention.

3. Nuclear Physics. (of an atomic nucleus) to cause the capture of (an elementary particle).

╂[< noun]

–n.

1. a person or thing taken in this way: »

The first capture of the day was a python for an American zoo. ... was ordered to collect the prisoners and bring them with all his captures to Scapa (Sunday Times).

2. a capturing or a being captured: »

With the capture of the escaped lion everyone in town felt relieved.

SYNONYM(S): seizure, arrest, apprehension.

3. Nuclear Physics. the process by which an atomic nucleus absorbs or acquires an additional elementary particle, especially a neutron, often resulting in emission of radiation or fission of the nucleus.

4. retrieval of information stored in a computer memory bank.

╂[< French capture, learned borrowing from Latin captūra taking < capere take]

–cap´tur|a|ble, adjective.

–cap´tur|er, noun.