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 aera, 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.