capto, āvi, ātum, 1
* V. freq. act. [capio].
* 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.
* Figuratively.
* 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.
* In partic.
* (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
* 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.
* To take up, begin, of discourse: ubi captato sermone diuque loquendo ad nomen venere Jovis,Ov. M. 3, 279.

s. TLL