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DictionaryRoot: capere
Latin

capere

take, hold, seize

Forms

  • cap-
  • capt- — Latin stem of the form meaning ‘taken.’
  • -cip- — Latin stem used in compounds.
  • -cept- — Stem of the form meaning ‘taken’ in Latin compounds.
  • -ceive — Developed through French in verbs borrowed into English.

Origin

Reconstructed Proto-Indo-European *kap-, ‘grasp.’

Note

Taking something into the mind was already a Latin metaphor.

47 / 49
A thoughtful older white manager leaning forward attentively as a younger East Asian colleague presents a fresh sketch.
adjective

receptive

rih-SEP-tiv/rɪˈseptɪv/

Ready to receive or accept something offered.

Etymology
reLatinback, again; restoration or reversal
+ceptLatintake, hold, seize
+iveLatinhaving a quality or tendency

Originally describing the capacity to receive or act as a receptacle, receptive applies that taking-in image to ideas. The underlying Latin verb means “take in,” though the precise contribution of “back” is obscure.

Full entry

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