The verb that attracted our attention can be interpreted short and long. If you go along the first path, then you need to bring the meaning of the noun, then the infinitive and go to the desired truth. The second path includes the first, but also involves history. Thus, it will become known not only how it captivates, but also why, because the last aspect excites you most if you are even a little curious.
History
One must not go from the verb, but from the noun. The dictionary says only that it is an Old Slavonic loan and, to get more data, you need to look "full." And here we find interesting intersections with Greek and Old Icelandic - pōleō (“buy”), falr (“corrupt”). Initially, "full" is "profit, production, purchase, sale", then - "prisoners" who also participated in trade transactions, and then the noun "captivity" was born. It is not surprising that the word is associated with the sale of live goods, because in ancient Greece slaves were sold and bought, as is now home appliances. Yes, but do not forget that the main goal is “captivating”, the verb that we are considering.
Meaning of noun, infinitive and sentence examples
It all started with a pair of nouns and verbs, let them continue to go hand in hand. We give a definition of both of them:
- Captivity is "a state of enslavement, one who is captured in war by the enemy and deprived of his freedom."
- Capturing is “capturing” or “captivating, captivating (figurative)”.
The noun also has a figurative meaning when a person is captured by abstract entities, for example:
- He was captured by the ideas of freedom and sovereignty, and they destroyed him.
- It is very sweet in captivity of illusions, it will bitterly when life makes you wake up.
Since there are sentences with a noun, we’ll compose options that include the verb:
- The enemy captured Peter, but then released, because it was only a game.
- She captivated him with her manner of speaking, she was smart, educated and beautiful - a unique combination that almost never occurs.
Note that a certain violent element is retained in the noun and verb, even when it comes to captivity of beauty or ideas. You should think hard about this, as well as about the meaning of the word “captivates” in principle.