[cap.ture] n [MF, fr. L captura, fr. captus] (ca. 1542) 1: an act or instance of capturing: as a: an act of catching, winning, or gaining control by force, stratagem, or guile b: a move in a board game (as chess or checkers) that gains an opponent's piece c: the absorption by an atom, nucleus, or particle of a subatomic particle that often results in subsequent emission of radiation or in fission d: the act of recording in a permanent file "data ~"
2: one that has been taken (as a prize ship)
[2]capture vt cap.tured ; cap.tur.ing (1795) 1 a: to take captive; also: to gain control of esp. by force "~ a city" b: to gain or win esp. through effort "captured 60% of the vote"
2: to emphasize, represent, or preserve (as a scene, mood, or quality) in a more or less permanent form "at any such moment as a photograph might ~ --C. E. Montague"
3: to captivate and hold the interest of
4: to take according to the rules of a game
5: to bring about the capture of (a subatomic particle)
6: to record in a permanent file (as in a computer) syn see catch