Part 67

Captaincy general, the office, power, territory, or jurisdiction of a captain general; as, the captaincy general of La Habana (Cuba and its islands).

Cap"tain*ry (?), n. [Cf. F. capitainerie.] Power, or command, over a certain district; chieftainship. [Obs.]

Cap"tain*ship, n. 1. The condition, rank, post, or authority of a captain or chief commander. "To take the captainship." Shak.

2. Military skill; as, to show good captainship.

Cap*ta`tion (?), n. [L. captatio, fr. captare to catch, intens. of caper to take: cf. F. captation.] A courting of favor or applause, by flattery or address; a captivating quality; an attraction. [Obs.]

Without any of those dresses, or popular captations, which some men use in their speeches. Eikon Basilike.

Cap"tion (?), n. [L. captio, fr. caper to take. In senses 3 and 4, perhaps confounded in meaning with L. caput a head. See Capacious.] 1. A caviling; a sophism. [Obs.]

This doctrine is for caption and contradiction. Bacon.

2. The act of taking or arresting a person by judicial process. [R.] Bouvier.

3. (Law) That part of a legal instrument, as a commission, indictment, etc., which shows where, when, and by what authority, it was taken, found, or executed. Bouvier. Wharton.

4. The heading of a chapter, section, or page. [U. S.]

Cap"tious (?), a. [F. captieux, L. captiosus. See Caption.] 1. Apt to catch at faults; disposed to find fault or to cavil; eager to object; difficult to please.

A captious and suspicious age. Stillingfleet.

I am sensible I have not disposed my materials to abide the test of a captious controversy. Bwike.

2. Fitted to harass, perplex, or insnare; insidious; troublesome.

Captious restraints on navigation. Bancroft.

Syn. -- Caviling, carping, fault-finding; censorious; hypercritical; peevish, fretful; perverse; troublesome. -- Captious, caviling, Carping. A captious person is one who has a fault-finding habit or manner, or is disposed to catch at faults, errors, etc., with quarrelsome intent; a caviling person is disposed to raise objections on frivolous grounds; carping implies that one is given to ill-natured, persistent, or unreasonable fault- finding, or picking up of the words or actions of others.

Caviling is the carping of argument, carping the caviling of ill temper. C. J. Smith.

Cap"tious*ly, adv. In a captious manner.

Cap"tious*ness, n. Captious disposition or manner.

Cap"ti*vate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Captivated; p. pr. & vb. n. Captivating.] [L. captivatus, p. p. of captivare to capture, fr. captivus captive. See Captive.] 1. To take prisoner; to capture; to subdue. [Obs.]

Their woes whom fortune captivates. Shak.

2. To acquire ascendancy over by reason of some art or attraction; to fascinate; to charm; as, Cleopatra captivated Antony; the orator captivated all hearts.

Small landscapes of captivating loveliness. W. Irving.

Syn. -- To enslave; subdue; overpower; charm; enchant; bewitch; facinate; capture; lead captive.

Cap"ti*vate (?), p. a. [L. captivatus.] Taken prisoner; made captive; insnared; charmed.

Women have been captivate ere now. Shak.

Cap"ti*va`ting (?), a. Having power to captivate or charm; fascinating; as, captivating smiles. -- Cap"ti*va`ting*ly, adv.