Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Caption has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
taking exception; especially a quibble based on a captious argument
"a mere caption unworthy of a reply"
The descriptive heading or title of a document or part thereof
"The caption at the top of the page clearly identified the section as containing financial data from last quarter."
In plain English: A caption is the short text that explains what an image, video, or meme shows.
"The photo caption explained that the group had just won their tournament match."
Usage: Use the noun form when referring to a brief description under an image, while the verb describes the act of adding such descriptions. This term is often confused with "title," but a caption specifically accompanies visual media rather than standing alone as a main heading for a document.
provide with a caption, as of a photograph or a drawing
"The editor asked the photographer to add a brief caption explaining the scene in the picture."
To add captions to a text or illustration.
"The editor captioned every photograph in the magazine before printing it."
In plain English: To caption something means to add text that explains what is happening in an image or video.
"She captioned her social media post with a joke about the messy kitchen."
The word caption comes from the Latin captio, meaning "deception" or "fraud," which is related to the verb capere ("to take"). Although it originally referred to a trick or seizure, English adopted it with this new sense of describing a brief description accompanying an image.