Explain the verb that caught our attention can be short and long. If you follow the first path, then you need to give the meaning of the noun, then the infinitive and get to the desired truth. The second path includes the first, but also presupposes history. Thus, it will become known not only how it is captivating, but also why, because the latter aspect excites the most if you are even a little curious.
History
You must go not from the verb, but from the noun. The dictionary only says that this is an Old Slavonic borrowing and, in order to get more data, you need to look at “full”. And here interesting intersections with Greek and Old Norse are found - pōleō (“I buy”), falr (“corrupt”). Initially, “full” is “profit, extraction, 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 purchasethe sale of live goods, because in ancient Greece slaves were sold and bought, as household appliances are now. Yes, but do not forget that the main goal is "captivates", the verb that we are considering.
Meaning of noun, infinitive and example sentences
It all started with a pair of noun and verb, let them continue to go hand in hand. Let's define both:
- Captivity is “a state of enslavement, one who is captured in the war by the enemy and deprived of freedom.”
- To captivate is "to capture" or "to charm, captivate (portative)".
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.
- In the captivity of illusions it is very sweet, it will become bitter when life makes you wake up.
Since there are sentences with a noun, let's compose options that include a verb:
- The enemy captured Peter, but then let him go, because it was only a game.
- She captivated him with her way of speaking, she was smart, educated and beautiful - a unique combination that almost never occurs.
Notice that a certain violent element is retained in the noun and verb, even when it comes to being captivated by beauty or ideas. It is worth thinking about this, as well as the meaning of the word "captivates" in principle.
