caption
UK[ˈkæpʃn]US[ˈkæpʃn]
n
A title or brief explanation printed below or next to a picture, diagram, or illustration.
n
A piece of text appearing on a cinema or television screen as part of a film or broadcast, such as subtitles.
v
To provide a caption for a picture, diagram, or film.
Morpheme Breakdown
capt
ion
capt
take
ion
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'caption' has a direct lineage from Latin, tracing back to the verb capere, meaning 'to take' or 'to seize'. In Medieval Latin, the term captionem (nominative captio) referred to the act of taking or seizing, particularly in a legal sense, such as the seizure of property or a person. This legalistic meaning evolved in English to denote the 'taking' or 'heading' of a legal document, which was a brief statement summarizing its contents. By the late 19th century, this concept of a brief, explanatory heading was extended to the text 'taking' or summarizing the content of an illustration or, later, a film sequence, giving us the modern meaning of a descriptive title or subtitle.
Analysis
Structure: capt (take) + ion (noun suffix)
- capt: From Latin capere (to take, seize). This root appears in the English spelling as 'capt' in words like 'capture', 'captive', and 'captor'.
- ion: A suffix of Latin origin used to form nouns indicating an action, process, or result.
Examples
The photograph's witty caption made everyone laugh.
Please turn on the closed captions so I can follow the dialogue.
The museum curator will caption all the new exhibits next week.