capo

1
[ key-poh ]

noun,plural ca·pos.
  1. any of various devices for a guitar, lute, banjo, etc., that when clamped or screwed down across the strings at a given fret will raise each string a corresponding number of half tones.

  2. the nut of a guitar, lute, banjo, etc.

Origin of capo

1
1875–80; <Italian, shortening of capotastocapotasto

Words Nearby capo

Other definitions for capo (2 of 2)

capo2
[ kah-poh, kap-oh ]

noun,plural ca·pos.
  1. the chief of a branch of the Mafia.

Origin of capo

2
1960–65; <Italian: head, leader <Vulgar Latin *capum for Latin caput;cf. chief

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use capo in a sentence

  • Miaulis has blown up his fleet rather than obey capo d'Istria.

  • "Of Guy—the founder—and of the Crusades; it is a tale a maid may hear," the capo responded grimly.

    The Royal Pawn of Venice | Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
  • "The time of a Venetian is his best gift to the State," the capo made answer icily.

    The Royal Pawn of Venice | Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
  • There was a pause during which the unwilling Secretary felt the eyes of the capo upon him, forcing him to lift his own.

    The Royal Pawn of Venice | Mrs. Lawrence Turnbull
  • Whoever the capo maestra that Rizzi worked for, he was not only a deep-dyed villain, but a brainy one.

    Courts and Criminals | Arthur Train

British Dictionary definitions for capo (1 of 2)

capo1

/ (ˈkeɪpəʊ, ˈkæpəʊ) /


nounplural -pos
  1. a device fitted across all the strings of a guitar, banjo, etc, so as to raise the pitch of each string simultaneously: Also called: capo tasto (ˈkæpəʊ ˈtæstəʊ) Compare barré

Origin of capo

1
from Italian capo tasto head stop

British Dictionary definitions for capo (2 of 2)

capo2

/ (ˈkæpəʊ, Italian ˈkapo) /


nounplural -pos
  1. the presumed title of a Mafia leader

Origin of capo

2
Italian: head

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