Meaning of caption in English

Table of contents

Verb
caption
Definitions
1. provide with a caption, as of a photograph or a drawing
Derived terms
- legend
- subtitle
Noun
caption
Etymology
late Middle English (in the sense ‘seizing, capture’): from Latin captio(n-), from capere‘take, seize’. Early senses ‘arrest’ and ‘warrant for arrest’ gave rise to ‘statement of where, when, and by whose authority a warrant was issued’ (late 17th century): this was usually appended to a legal document, hence the sense ‘heading or accompanying wording’ (late 18th century)
Definitions
1. taking exception
Examples
- « especially an quibble based on a captious argument »
- « a mere caption unworthy of a reply »
2. translation of foreign dialogue of a movie or TV program
Examples
- « usually displayed at the bottom of the screen »
Derived terms
- subtitle
3. brief description accompanying an illustration

Pronunciation