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captiv'd

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Captiv’d is an archaic shortened spelling of captivated, meaning captured, imprisoned, or brought under another’s power; it may also suggest being strongly charmed.

Detailed Definition
This older contracted spelling means seized and held captive. Donne uses it to show Reason as powerless, as if it has been taken prisoner in the soul.
Example
Example in poetry:
“But is captiv’d, and proves weak or untrue,” uses the apostrophe for the archaic past participle captivated; “Captiv’d by her song, the sailor forgot the shore,” preserves an older poetic contraction; In Shakespearean and Augustan verse, such contractions can help meter and register; A modern edition may print “captiv’d” to retain historical sound, while “captivated” is standard modern spelling
Additional Notes
The archaic spelling in “captiv'd” can obscure the meaning for modern readers, even though the root word is familiar.; Found in the poem, Batter my heart, three-person'd God by John Donne
Also Known As
captivated enchanted charmed
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