cape

¹

[keyp]

noun

1. 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.

2. the capa of a bullfighter.

verb (used with object)

caped, caping 

1. (of a matador or capeador during a bullfight) to induce and guide the charge of (a bull) by flourishing a capa.

cape

²

[keyp]

noun

1. a piece of land jutting into the sea or some other large body of water.

   Synonyms: spit, headland, promontory, point

2. the Cape.

   1. Northeastern U.S.,  Cape Cod.

   2. Cape of Good Hope.

3. capeskin.

verb (used without object)

caped, caping 

1. Nautical.,  (of a ship) to have good steering qualities.

adjective

1. Cape, pertaining to the Cape of Good Hope or to South Africa.

   a Cape diamond.

cape

¹

/ keɪp /

noun

1. a sleeveless garment like a cloak but usually shorter

2. a strip of material attached to a coat or other garment so as to fall freely, usually from the shoulders

cape

²

/ keɪp /

noun

1. a headland or promontory

Cape

³

/ keɪp /

noun

1. the SW region of South Africa, in Western Cape province

2. See Cape of Good Hope

cape

1. A point or head of land projecting into a body of water.

Other Word Forms

• caped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cape¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French cap(p)e, from Spanish capa or Italian cappa, from Late Latin cappa “hooded cloak”; cope ²

Origin of cape²

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of cape¹

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

Origin of cape²

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

Example Sentences

When I think of a vampire, I think of a long cape and a gigantic bat hanging from the branches … but this is somehow even scarier.

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When it finally came time to leave, Madame Babushkinov swirled her fur cape to and fro like a matador to coax her three older children to the door.

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There they crashed headlong into the source of the bellowing: a tall woman in a fur cape, who now lay sprawled on the floor with three orange-splattered ghosts hovering above her.

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Alexander had stubbornly kept his blanket wrapped around him like a cape, and no one had taken a stab at the cursive letters.

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In 2010, a Sun News article imagined Martin as a cartoon superhero, “in tights and a cape with the caricature of a microscope emblazoned across his chest.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal