Captor
/ˈkæp.tər/noun
A person or thing that captures or takes someone or something prisoner.
Did you know?Captor comes from Latin *captor*, meaning “one who catches,” from *capere*—the same root behind words like “capture,” “captive,” and “capable,” where power and possibility share a hidden origin.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kap-
“to grasp, seize, take”
Latin
Latin
capere
“to take, seize, catch”
Latin
Latin
captor
“a capturer, one who takes or seizes”
Old French
OF
capteur
“one who captures; a catcher”
Middle English
English
captour
“one who captures or takes prisoner”
Modern English
English
captor
“a person who captures or holds someone captive”
Explore more surprising origins