captivate

[ kap-tuh-veyt ]
/ ˈkæp təˌveɪt /

verb (used with object), cap·ti·vat·ed, cap·ti·vat·ing.

to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence; enchant: Her blue eyes and red hair captivated him.
Obsolete. to capture; subjugate.

Origin of captivate

1520–30; < Late Latin captīvātus (past participle of captīvāre to take captive), equivalent to Latin captīv(us) captive + -ātus -ate1

OTHER WORDS FROM captivate

Example sentences from the Web for captivating

British Dictionary definitions for captivating

captivate
/ (ˈkæptɪˌveɪt) /

verb (tr)

to hold the attention of by fascinating; enchant
an obsolete word for capture

Derived forms of captivate

captivatingly, adverb captivation, noun captivator, noun

Word Origin for captivate

C16: from Late Latin captivāre, from captīvus captive