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Synonyms

capon

American  
[kay-pon, -puhn] / ˈkeɪ pɒn, -pən /

noun

  • capons
    plural
  1. a cockerel castrated to improve the flesh for use as food.


capon British  
/ ˈkeɪpən /

noun

  1. a castrated cock fowl fattened for eating

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of capon

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English capun, from Latin capōn- (stem of capō ) “castrated cock”; akin to Greek kóptein “to cut,” Old Church Slavonic skopiti “to castrate”


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

From the Renaissance up to the late nineteenth century, one finds many cookbooks that suggest covering boiled meat, especially poultry such as duck or capon, with macaroni or filled pasta.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2023

On second thought, this could be the year of the capon.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 2, 2017

Sixty-nine dignitaries enjoyed a lavish spread featuring 12 courses, including eggs stuffed with foie gras, turtle soup and Sussex capon.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2012

She recalled her father carving a cold galantine of capon at Christmas, and her Aunt Cettina, who had a way with pasta, encouraging her to linger in the kitchen.

From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2012

“How far have we come?” the dwarf asked him as they stuffed themselves with cold capon and a relish made of carrots, raisins, and bits of lime and orange.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

“Isn’t it strange that the only people who eat capons are sixteenth-century courtiers and twenty-first-century Brooklyn hipsters?” a publisher in his thirties, at the Susan B. Anthony setting, observed as he chewed.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 21, 2018

The reburial of Richard's father was accompanied by three sung masses and a banquet where guests dined on capons, cygnets, herons and rabbits.

From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2013

The great cartoon fowls — Daffy Duck above all, of course, but also Donald and Daisy and Foghorn Leghorn and Henery Hawk — were capering capons safe from human predation.

From Time ● Oct. 31, 2013

Meanwhile, the years of superstardom were limited, because castrati tended to age badly: "Most of them become as big and fat as capons, with round and chubby hips, rumps, arms and throats."

From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2009

He says he can see a bunch of pom-pom-covered capons jumping up and down.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

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