Capter

Capter is a French verb meaning to capture, seize, or grasp. It is used for both literal taking and figurative senses such as attracting or detecting something. Common expressions include capter l'attention (to capture attention), capter un signal (to pick up a signal), and capter des informations (to obtain information). In everyday language, capter often appears with nouns related to attention, signals, or audiences.

Origin and form: Capter derives from the Latin capere “to take,” passing into Old French and then into Modern French. It is a regular -er verb. Present tense forms are je capte, tu captes, il capte, nous captons, vous captez, ils captent. The past participle is capté, used with avoir in compound tenses (j'ai capté).

Usage notes: In technical contexts, capter describes the reception or detection of signals or data (for example, capter un signal radio). The related verb capturer is also used, particularly in computing or media, to denote capturing or recording content (for example, capturer une image, capturer des données). The noun capteur means sensor, and la captation refers to the act of capturing or the captured signal.

Cross-linguistic note: In Spanish and Portuguese, cognates captar are used with similar meanings (to capture, to grasp, to attract). In English, capter is not a standard term; a similarly spelled term may appear in proper names or keepers of brand names, such as Capterra, which is unrelated to the French verb.