capitulation

[kuh-pich-uh-ley-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR capitulation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the document containing the terms of a surrender.

a list of the headings or main divisions of a subject; a summary or enumeration.

Often capitulations. a treaty or agreement by which subjects of one country residing or traveling in another are extended extraterritorial rights or special privileges, especially such a treaty between a European country and the former Ottoman rulers of Turkey.

Origin of capitulation

First recorded in 1525–35, capitulation is from the Medieval Latin word capitulātiōn- (stem of capitulātiō). See capitulate, -ion

Related formsca·pit·u·la·to·ry

[kuh-pich-uh-luh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /kəˈpɪtʃ ə ləˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, adjectivenon·ca·pit·u·la·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for capitulation

yielding, submission, surrender, resignation, bowing, conceding, accedence, buckling, relenting

Examples from the Web for capitulation

Contemporary Examples of capitulation

Hence, I suspect, the panic, the lockdown, the capitulation.
Pyongyang Shuffle: Hollywood In Dead Panic Over Sony Hack
James Poulos
December 19, 2014
The Barzeh truce sparked outrage from commentators aligned with the opposition, who viewed it as little more than capitulation.
Local Truces Are Syria’s Sad Little Pieces of Peace
Joshua Hersh
November 18, 2014
U.S. and Israeli hawks are rushing to call the interim nuclear agreement a capitulation and Obama another Chamberlain.
No, Obama’s Iran Deal Was Not a Munich-Style Surrender
Peter Beinart
November 25, 2013
A successful end to the current talks, in the eyes of the West, would represent not so much compromise as capitulation.
Have Iran Talks Fallen Victim to 'Negotiation Fetishism?'
Matt Lerner
November 4, 2013
By holding firm and refusing to bend to Republican demands for capitulation, Obama has broken the Republican Party.
Finally! The Republican Fever Is Broken
Jamelle Bouie
October 16, 2013

Historical Examples of capitulation

After the capitulation he was made prisoner, and in escaping was wounded.
A Zola Dictionary
J. G. Patterson
After the capitulation of the French army, Loubet was made a prisoner.
A Zola Dictionary
J. G. Patterson
I proved right, for last month came the capitulation, and here I am.
The Knight Of Gwynne, Vol. II (of II)
Charles James Lever
Thither the allied armies had followed him and forced his capitulation.
Union and Democracy
Allen Johnson
The capitulation, with these modifications, was signed by Draper and the Archbishop-Governor.
The Philippine Islands
John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for capitulation

capitulation

noun

the act of capitulating

a document containing terms of surrender

a statement summarizing the main divisions of a subject

Derived Formscapitulatory, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for capitulation

1530s, "an agreement," from Middle French capitulation, noun of action from capituler "agree on specified terms," from Medieval Latin capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions," from capitulum "chapter," in classical Latin "heading," literally "a little head," diminutive of caput (genitive capitis) "head" (see capitulum). Meaning narrowed by mid-17c. to "make terms of surrender."