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cape

1
[ keyp ]
/ keɪp /
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noun
a sleeveless garment of various lengths, fastened around the neck and falling loosely from the shoulders, worn separately or attached to a coat or other outer garment.
the capa of a bullfighter.
verb (used with object), caped, cap·ing.
(of a matador or capeador during a bullfight) to induce and guide the charge of (a bull) by flourishing a capa.
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Origin of cape

1
First recorded in 1610–20; from French cap(p)e, from Spanish capa or Italian cappa, from Late Latin cappa “hooded cloak”; see also cope2

OTHER WORDS FROM cape

caped, adjective

Other definitions for cape (2 of 2)

cape2
[ keyp ]
/ keɪp /

noun
a piece of land jutting into the sea or some other large body of water.
the Cape.
  1. Northeastern U.S. Cape Cod (def. 1).
  2. Cape of Good Hope (def. 1).
verb (used without object), caped, cap·ing.
Nautical. (of a ship) to have good steering qualities.
adjective
Cape, pertaining to the Cape of Good Hope or to South Africa: a Cape diamond.

Origin of cape

2
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cap, from Middle French, from Old Provençal cap or Italian capo, from Vulgar Latin capum (unrecorded) for Latin caput “head”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cape

cape , peninsula, promontory
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cape in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cape (1 of 3)

cape1
/ (keɪp) /

noun
a sleeveless garment like a cloak but usually shorter
a strip of material attached to a coat or other garment so as to fall freely, usually from the shoulders

Word Origin for cape

C16: from French, from Provençal capa, from Late Latin cappa; see cap

British Dictionary definitions for cape (2 of 3)

cape2
/ (keɪp) /

noun
a headland or promontory

Word Origin for cape

C14: from Old French cap, from Old Provençal, from Latin caput head

British Dictionary definitions for cape (3 of 3)

Cape
/ (keɪp) /

noun the Cape
the SW region of South Africa, in Western Cape province
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for cape

cape
[ kāp ]

A point or head of land projecting into a body of water.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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