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capsule

   Also found in: Medical, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.07 sec.
cap·sule  (kpsl, -sl)
n.
1. A small soluble container, usually made of gelatin, that encloses a dose of an oral medicine or a vitamin.
2. Anatomy A fibrous, membranous, or fatty sheath that encloses an organ or part, such as the sac surrounding the kidney or the fibrous tissues that surround a joint.
3. Microbiology A mucopolysaccharide outer shell enveloping certain bacteria.
4. Botany
a. A dry dehiscent fruit that develops from two or more united carpels.
b. The thin-walled, spore-containing structure of mosses and related plants.
5. A space capsule.
6. A brief summary; a condensation.
adj.
1. Highly condensed; very brief: a capsule description.
2. Very small; compact.
tr.v. cap·suled, cap·sul·ing, cap·sules
1. To enclose in or furnish with a capsule.
2. To condense or summarize: capsuled the news.

[French, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa, box.]

capsule
Noun
1. a soluble gelatine case containing a dose of medicine
2. Bot a plant's seed case that opens when ripe
3. Anat a membrane or sac surrounding an organ or part
Adjective
very concise: capsule courses [Latin capsa box]

capsule  (kpsl, -sl)
1. A dry dehiscent fruit that develops from two or more carpels, as in the poppy and the cottonwood tree.
2. The sporangium (the hollow spore-producing structure) of mosses and other bryophytes.
3. The outer layer of viscous polysaccharide or polypeptide slime with which some bacteria cover their cell walls. Capsules provide defense against phagocytes and prevent the bacteria from drying out.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.capsulecapsule - a small container
container - any object that can be used to hold things (especially a large metal boxlike object of standardized dimensions that can be loaded from one form of transport to another)
paintball - a capsule filled with water-soluble dye used as a projectile in playing the game of paintball
2.capsule - a pill in the form of a small rounded gelatinous container with medicine inside
lozenge, pill, tablet, tab - a dose of medicine in the form of a small pellet
3.capsule - a dry dehiscent seed vessel or the spore-containing structure of e.g. mosses
pericarp, seed vessel - the ripened and variously modified walls of a plant ovary
bilocular capsule - a capsule divided into two cells or compartments
boll - the rounded seed-bearing capsule of a cotton or flax plant
siliqua, silique - narrow elongated seed capsule peculiar to the family Cruciferae
peristome - (botany) fringe of toothlike appendages surrounding the mouth of a moss capsule
4.capsulecapsule - a shortened version of a written work
sum-up, summary - a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form; "he gave a summary of the conclusions"
5.capsule - a structure that encloses a body part
anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; "he has good bone structure"
malpighian body, malpighian corpuscle, renal corpuscle - the capsule that contains Bowman's capsule and a glomerulus at the expanded end of a nephron
eyeball, orb - the ball-shaped capsule containing the vertebrate eye
lens capsule - a tenuous mesoblastic membrane surrounding the lens of the eye
6.capsulecapsule - a spacecraft designed to transport people and support human life in outer space
ballistic capsule, space vehicle, spacecraft - a craft capable of traveling in outer space; technically, a satellite around the sun
7.capsulecapsule - a pilot's seat in an airplane that can be forcibly ejected in the case of an emergency; then the pilot descends by parachute
cockpit - compartment where the pilot sits while flying the aircraft
seat - any support where you can sit (especially the part of a chair or bench etc. on which you sit); "he dusted off the seat before sitting down"
Verb1.capsule - enclose in a capsule
enclose, enfold, envelop, enwrap, wrap - enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering; "Fog enveloped the house"
2.capsule - put in a short or concise form; reduce in volume; "capsulize the news"
condense, concentrate, digest - make more concise; "condense the contents of a book into a summary"

capsule
noun 1. pill, tablet, lozenge, bolus
noun 2. Botany pod, case, shell, vessel, sheath, receptacle, seed case

1. A sealed, pressurized cabin for extremely high altitude or space flight which provides an acceptable environment for man, animal, or equipment.
2. An ejectable sealed cabin having automatic devices for safe return of the occupants to the surface.
Translations
Spanish capsule [ˈkæpsjuːl] ncápsula
French capsule [ˈkæpsjuːl] ncapsule f
German capsule [ˈkæpsjuːl] nKapsel f
Italian capsule [ˈkæpsjuːl] ncapsula

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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
I teach you the friend in whom the world standeth complete, a capsule of the good,--the creating friend, who hath always a complete world to bestow.
So it is with hybrids, for their degree of fertility is often found to differ greatly in the several individuals raised from seed out of the same capsule and exposed to exactly the same conditions.
But these animals did not take to flight so rapidly but what the electric capsule could stop their course.
 
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